


New York New York

by SnakePrincess101



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bad Order of the Phoenix, Crime, Death Eater Hermione Granger, Death Eaters, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Family, Friendship, Mafia AU, New York City, New York Mafia, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Partners in Crime, Romance, alternative universe, dramione - Freeform, dramione au, mafia, no magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:22:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 33,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27804505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnakePrincess101/pseuds/SnakePrincess101
Summary: Draco Malfoy is heir to one of the most powerful mafias. Hermione Granger was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hermione Granger started the war. But her death ended it.
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson/Blaise Zabini
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm super excited to finally be publishing this story, as my beta and I have been hard at work on this since May 2020. I want to start by saying a huge thank you to my beta, DestinyAwaitsYou (FF.N) who's stuck by me through my many changes of heart with this fic. Updates will be once a week I hope but I'm not going to have an update schedule for the time being because I only have 6 chapters ready at the point of posting and I have another on going story. I would say this fic will be between 30-50 chapters with chapters varying between 2500-4500 words. The first few chapters are more 'lustful' but once Hermione and Draco's relationship forms it will focus on crime, this is not a slow burn fic. Please review your thoughts, it really means a lot and shows me what you guys, my lovely readers, like and don't. I have done a fan cast on my Instagram (dramiones_lovexo) however all characters are played by their actors in the films apart from Theodore Nott who per usual in my fics, is portrayed by Tom Holland and my original Character Poppy Parkinson is portrayed by the amazing Millie Bobby Brown. Oh and Charlie's portrayal is just a guy I found on google, I don't have a clue who he is. Anyways, enjoy xx

**Draco Malfoy is heir to one of the most powerful mafias. Hermione Granger was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hermione Granger started the war. But her death ended it.**

**Set in the modern day with no magic.**

**Rated: M**

**Themes: Crime, Tragedy, Angst, Drama, Romance, Friendship**

***Not slow burn***

* * *

**_ Be careful who you trust. The devil was once an angel. _ **

It's funny, looking back at how my life turned out.

We were the modern-day Bonnie and Clyde.

We killed anyone who got in our way.

We fell in love.

And then I died.

I never expected my life to turn out this way.

I was born in London and I thought that's where I would die.

Death by natural cause. That's what I imagined my death certificate to say.

This is my story.

The story of Hermione Granger.

The story of how my life changed for the better.

The story of my crimes.

The story of how I feel in love.

The story of how I died.

XXX

15th May

Her wrist had turned red from the rope that bound her to the chair; her throat burned from screaming. Her eyes ached from the blinding light shining on her.

It had been a mistake to leave The Base Lounge. If she'd stayed at the club, with Harry, Ginny and the others...

Hermione wished more than anything to be back home in London, sitting at the dining room table in her parent's house, with Sunday roast placed on the table in front of her and Harry across the table.

It hadn't been like that in so long...

"Please," Hermione pleaded for what felt like the hundredth time. But what good would it do? She'd been tied to the cold metal chair for at least 3 hours already. Her gold spaghetti strap cocktail dress and matching heels were becoming a worse idea by the minute.

What she'd give to be curled up in Ron or Charlie's bed. She'd always thought that sleeping with both of them would be a bad idea, that she'd be caught sneaking around with one by the other. But right now...

Anywhere but where she was seemed appealing.

"I won't go to the police," the young brunette begged as she tried to pull her arms free. It didn't help. "I won't say anything to anyone!"

Within a second, the heavy looking steel door on the other side of the room swung open. Two burly men stepped into the room, two men that Hermione recognised as the ones who'd dragged her down to the room and tied her to the chair.

The two men took a step to the side, taking a position either side of the door.

It took Hermione a moment to realise that there was another man standing in the doorway.

He was taller than the previous two, had a slimmer build as well. But that didn't mean that he didn't have a similar muscular build.

The mystery man took a stride into the room, making it easier for Hermione to see his features. He had a platinum blonde, pompadour cut, and pale skin. As he got closer to her she noticed his piercing blue eyes.

He wore fitted black trousers and a white dress shirt with sleeves rolled to his elbows. One hand dangled from the trouser pocket, while the other hand supported a dinner jacket that had been thrown over his shoulder, his index finger looped through the tag.

Hermione couldn't help but notice the huge tattoo on his left forearm- a skull with a snake coming out of its mouth. She could have sworn she'd seen it before somewhere.

The blonde pulled out the chair across from her, as if he was a police officer interrogating her. "It's not the police we are worried about you running to Miss Granger." He drawled as he flung the jacket over the back of the metal chair. Taking a seat, he placed his arms on the table between them.

It was as if he had all the time in the world. Which, realistically, he did. She was the one tied to a chair in a basement. He was the one with the body guards. The bodyguards with guns. He probably had one too.

Hermione realised that she'd been staring at him, lost in thought. Hermione couldn't help but notice the hint of grey in his ice blue eyes. He was handsome... No. Hermione. No. Not the time to get a crush.

She put her focus back on his comment. If it wasn't the police they didn't want her to go to, then who? The only people she knew in New York city were the Weasleys but they couldn't be involved in this could they?

"Tell me, Miss Granger." His voice was deep and alluring. He was quickly becoming a drug that she wanted to be addicted to; she just wasn't sure why. "What is your connection to the Weasleys?" It was as if he'd read her mind.

"H-how..." She mumbled, wishing she could hide her head in her hands. "How do you know my name?" Hermione wanted to flinch at how timid she sounded. If only she could rewind time.

The man looked over his shoulders at the two bodyguards, it was obvious none of them saw Hermione as a threat. That was a mistake.

Hermione may be small and slim, but "don't judge a book by its cover" was her motto.

The young girl had a range of talents- she was smart and well put together, but also had the same physical skills as Harry. The Granger's adopted Harry when he was 3, Hermione being nine months older than him. As soon as the two were old enough, their father had taught them to hunt. And it was no secret that Hermione had a much better shot than Harry.

That wasn't the only thing she was better at.

The only thing that Harry was better at was boxing and MMA. Hermione had never been able to beat her brother during a spar.

They hadn't had a match in so long, the last time they did would have been the Christmas holidays of their last year at Hogwarts, that was seven years ago.

Harry had moved out of their family home as soon as school finished, he and Ron shared a small flat in Hogsmeade, the small village next to the castle that was now used as a private boarding school. They'd lived there for a year, then once Ginny had finished her final year the three of them left for America. Well, Harry did, anyway. Ron and Ginny had to go back to New York, their mother had given them no choice. But Harry followed Ginny- Harry would always follow Ginny.

"We've been through your phone. Obviously." He smirked, once again pulling her back to reality.

Taking a deep breath, she conjured all the confidence she could muster. "If you've been through my phone, then you know my connection to the Weasleys." The blonde gave her a sly smile, lifting his left hand from the table, he reached into his trouser pocket.

A few seconds later, his hand reappeared with a phone in his clutches. The man placed it in the space between them. The brunette stared into the blue eyes of the man opposite her. The mysterious man gave her an impressed look. She was playing her part well. Could she use that expression? It wasn't like she was acting, and behind the façade she was shitting herself. "Ah yes," he finally said. Picking up the phone, he shoved the camera in Hermione's face to unlock it. Opening the photo app, he continued on to open 'Potter wedding'. "Ginevra Weasley's sister-in-law."

Hitting the back icon, he went on to click Hermione's favourite folder, 'Granger-Potter'. Every photo of her and Harry that she'd managed to get her hands on since he'd been adopted. Every family photo, first day of school photo (well, the day they hopped on the train to Hogwarts), every silly video and mug that she'd taken of Harry.

He tapped on a copy of their boarding school graduation class. He zoomed into the front left corner where she stood with Harry and Ron. Hermione had stood in the middle, Harry's arm flung over her shoulders while Ron's wrapped around her waist. Looking at the photo sent her back to a simpler time, a time when she didn't have to worry about work or which bed she'd be sleeping in that night.

"What have they got to do with all this?" She asked, once again trying to free her hands from the rough rope.

For a few excruciatingly long seconds, the unnamed blonde stared at her with a suspicious glint in his eye. Eventually, he began to laugh, leaning in close he lowered his voice. "You don't know, do you?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Know what?" She couldn't stop herself asking. Hermione had a constant need for knowledge, whether it be academic or not.

Abruptly, the man stood. Grabbing his jacket and her phone, he walked towards the door, and the guards either side. She watched him say something to the guy on the left, and he gave a nod of understanding.

With one final glance over his shoulder, and a smouldering smile, the blonde walked away.

The moment he was out of sight the guard he'd spoken to walked towards her. A few seconds later the other guy was heading towards her too. The first guy pulled her up off the seat while the other untied her hands.

Keeping a firm grip on her upper arm, the two guards lead her out of the room through the steel door. She was guided through a dark basement corridor, up a flight of concrete steps and through another heavy steel door.

She gasped slightly as they came out on the other side of the door. She stepped out into a grand corridor; red carpets lined the floor while white walls supported what she assumed to be very expensive pieces of artwork in gold frames.

They walked to the end of the stretching corridor. "In there," one of the guards grunted as he nodded towards the black door at the end of the long hallway. He let go of her arm and pushed her forwards. She reached out for the gold door handle, using it to stop herself from tumbling over.

Once she regained her balance, she slowly began to open the door. She didn't look back as she stepped through the door into a lavish bedroom.

Black walls engulfed Hermione as the door clicked shut behind her. Black furniture covered the span of the room; from the bed to the sofa set. Silk green sheets and pillows covered the black metal frame of the bed while the black leather sofa in the middle of the room supported silver cushions.

LED colour changing strip lights made the room glow while a surround sound system played classical music softly. Strange, Hermione thought to herself as she stood by the door.

Blonde hair strutted out of the door opposite her, "Ah Hermione!" he pointed towards one of the black leather settees. "Please sit."

Apprehensively Hermione moved towards the seat. She watched as he walked towards a liquor cart, he plucked two glasses from the lower shelf. The tip of his index finger skimmed over the top of every bottle before picking one.

"Dalmore 18-year single malt whiskey?" Hermione asked, rather surprised, "Expensive drink."

The mystery man smirked at her over his shoulder. She couldn't help but notice the small dimples that formed when he smirked, she could only imagine what they would like if he gave her a real, genuine smile. "Know your whiskey, do you Granger?" Hermione could tell he was teasing, or maybe he was testing. She just didn't know exactly what she was being tested on and she didn't like it. Hermione Granger does not fail tests.

He poured them both a glass before sitting opposite her. Crossing one leg over the other, ankle resting on the opposite knee. One arm stretched across the black leather, the other held his glass to his lips. "Plus, you seem like an expensive woman, Hermione."

Giving a huff she reached out for the glass he'd placed on the glass topped table between them. "I don't think it's fair you know my name but I don't know yours." It was as Hermione sat back in her seat that she noticed her phone on the edge of the table. On queue it buzzed,

_IMessage from Harry Potter_

Hermione, please call me!

Underneath she noticed how many missed calls and texts she had received... she'd only been gone a few hours...

_Harry: 27 missed calls_

_Ginny: 15 missed calls_

_Ron: 5 missed calls_

The list seemed to go on but she couldn't see the messages without reaching for the device.

"Tell me your story Granger," Hermione pulled her gaze away from her phone at the sound of her surname. She watched as the blonde tipped back the content of his glass before standing and walking over to the cart. "And I'll tell you mine."

Hermione watched him silently, sipping on her drink as he grabbed the freshly opened bottle of whiskey and poured himself another glass. "Let me phone my brother first."

"I'll let you phone your brother," He said after a moment of contemplation. "As long as you keep your mouth shut about all this." He casually glanced down at the phone resting between them which had begun to ring, Bill's name at the top of the screen.

"And what if I don't?"

His index finger tapped the side of the glass a few times. Suddenly he placed the tumbler on the drinks cart and shoved his hand into his trouser pocket. Hermione wanted to scream when she saw what he had reached in there for, but she couldn't. No noise left her body, she was frozen in fear.

"I'll kill you."

She knew by the fact he was pointing a gun at her head that he was being serious about killing her. It scared her that he was so calm as he spoke, as if he hadn't just threaten to murder her. But however much it scared her, it didn't surprise her.

She gulped before giving a nod of understanding. She reached for her phone. He waited for her to move away from the table before placing his gun on the table and grabbing his glass from the cart and taking his place opposite her again.

_ Bill Weasley (2 missed calls) _

_Hermione, where are you?_

_Will you please answer someone?_

_Hermione? Mum and Ginny are panicking, and don't even get me started on Harry. Just call someone._

_ Charlie Weasley (10 missed calls) _

_Come to my room when you're back ; )_

_Hermione, where are you?_

_Baby this isn't funny, call someone._

_Hermione, it's been hours!_

_Hermione!_

_Call me..._

_Call anyone!_

_ Molly Weasley (40 missed calls) _

_Hermione, dear, where are you?_

_Hermione will you please call us?_

_Hermione where are you, dear?_

_Will you please let us know you're safe?_

_Hermione? Love, please call someone._

_Hermione, we're all so worried._

_Hermione, we're going to phone the police soon. Please let someone know you're safe!_

_ Fred Weasley _

_Hermione where'd you go?_

_How far are you from the club?_

_Where are you?_

_ George Weasley (1 missed call) _

_Mione! Come back to the club it's so boring with you gone!_

_Where are you?_

_Mione, please call someone back._

_ Ron Weasley (5 missed calls) _

_Ginny said you were going back to the house... wait in my room?_

_Everyone's really worried._

_Hermione?_

_ Ginny Potter (15 missed calls) _

_Call me!_

_BITCH! Call me back rn!_

_Hermione! I swear to God!_

_Mum's going mental._

_Where are you?_

_Call me or Harry this instant!_

_Harry's about to ring your parents..._

_ Harry Potter (27 missed calls) _

_Where are you?_

_Hermione! Call me!_

_Hermione Jean Granger, call me back right now_

_If you don't call me within 5 minutes I'm calling mum and dad._

_HERMIONE!_

_H_

_E_

_R_

_M_

_I_

_O_

_N_

_E_

_CALL ME!_

_Hermione, please call me!_

Hermione clicked on Harry's contact info before hitting the call icon. It only called once from her side before she heard her brother's voice travelling though the connection. "Where are you and why the fuck haven't you been picking up?"

"Hello to you too, my dear brother."

"Hermione-"

"I'm fine," Closing her eyes she took a deep breath, trying to convince herself of her words. "I'm fine."

She could hear him telling the others that she was fine, she could also hear the disbelief and worry in his voice. "Where are you? I'll come pick you up."

"No!" She shouted it without thinking, her eyes shot open. The blonde was staring at her intently but he didn't seem mad that she'd nearly let slip on the 'secret'. "Look, Harry, I'm sort of with... I'm with a guy."

Her brother gave an awkward cough on the other side of the phone. "Oh. Right." Harry began to cough again, not too sure what to say. "Well um, ring me when you're done and I'll come pick you up from where ever."

"I'll let you know when I'm done. Oh and Harry,"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Hermione."

Without missing a beat, the brunette pulled her mobile away from her ear and pressed her finger to the hang up button. "Thanks." She whispered as she looked up at the blonde.

"Malfoy." He replied as he leaned forwards in his seat. "Draco Malfoy."

Hermione placed her phone on the surface between them once again, switching it out for her glass, which she raised to her lips straight away and took a swig of. "Draco... Latin for dragon." He gave a nod, she wasn't sure if it was to say if she had gotten that right or for her to continue. "Malfoy... French for bad faith. Well," she laughed. "I definitely wouldn't put my faith in a dragon."

He said nothing in response, instead he continued to stare at her until he pushed himself off the chair. He placed his once again empty glass on the glass table before stalking towards Hermione who also placed her glass down. "I take it you know French and Latin?" He took a seat next to her as he spoke, his arm resting across the back of the small leather sofa, his hand dangling by her shoulder.

"French, Italian, Latin," She turned to face him, their lips inches apart. "Russian, Greek and Chinese."

She leaned back slightly. As she did so, she noticed a small fire burning in his eyes. He was intrigued by her, whether it be her intelligence or something else that drew him in, she did not know. But that didn't change that fact that Draco Malfoy was intrigued.

His fingers edged closer to her bare skin; she could feel the goosebumps forming on her arms where his pale fingers would accidentally nudge her as he moved them. Her Dutch braids were still resting above her collar bones, the ends a frizzy as they had been back at the club.

Hermione couldn't help but notice his beautiful eyes and how they kept dropping to look at her lips. His fingertips began to trail down the column of her throat and along her shoulder. She bit down on her bottom lip, not breaking eye contact as his nails dragged over the curve of her breast.

Was she really going to do this? Kiss a man who'd kidnapped her? Kiss a man who had some unknown connection to her brother's in-laws? Would she sleep with him?

His head inclined forwards, his lips dropped to her ear. "Tell me, Hermione," He whispered after releasing a rough breath, his seductive tone causing a shiver to run down her spine. His fingers continuing their dance along her skin, "Who's better in bed? Ron or Charlie?"

The desire in Hermione's eyes turned to furry. Without thinking, she placed her hands on his chest and shoved him away. "How dare you!" She screamed as she raised her left hand and swung for his cheek.

Draco stared at her in a state of shock as he raised his hand to his reddening cheek.

It all happened so quickly after that...

He grabbed Hermione's wrists and yanked her off the seat before shoving her towards his bed. The back of her knees collided with a cold metal bar from the frame, and within seconds she was on her back on top of his green sheets.

The next thing she remembered was her wrists being pinned down above her head and Malfoy's knee forcing her legs apart. He positioned himself between them, his face full of anger above hers which was deep with fear.

All he did while she struggled underneath him, trying to break free, was stare. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before finally releasing his hold upon her arms and pushing himself off the bed. Hermione sat up quickly but didn't try to move. She was scared that if she moved, he would do more than just pin her down.

"You really don't know, do you?" He asked, his back still facing her.

"Obviously." She whispered as she pulled her knees to her chest. She was staring to wish she'd sent Harry her location before she'd rung him, at least then she would know he was on his way, that he was coming for her.

Draco gave an evil yet surprised laugh. Turning to face her he ran his hand through his hair. Blue met brown. "Welcome to the Mafia, Hermione Granger."

XXX

Sometimes I can still hear him saying those words to me.

That was the day my life changed the most, the day I met Draco Malfoy. I used to think that it was the day my life was ruined, that I'd been thrown into some game that I had no chance of winning.

But I did win.

In the end I won and everyone else lost.

But I don't know who took their loss greater.

My brother. Or my husband.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I would like to say a big thank you to all the follows, favourites, votes and hits! The day after I posted this story I had a bit of a college induced break down and I got home that day and I had some lovely messages about the fic which made my day 10000 times better. Please review your thoughts and as always much love and enjoy reading xo
> 
> Seven Devils by Florence + the machine

_**Hell is empty and all the devils are here.** _

It's strange how one little word changed my life.

Everything was normal until I met Draco Malfoy.

I always thought it was stupid that people would do things like kill for love. But now I know why. When you love someone that much, you would do anything to protect them. That's what Draco and I did for each other. That's what Harry and Ginny did.

XXX

15th May

Hermione couldn't speak, she could just about breathe. Panic had settled in just moments after he'd finished his sentence.

Seven words.

Seven simple words was all it took for her world to be tipped upside down. Everything she'd known, or at least thought she knew, since the age of eleven had been a lie.

Hermione's hands lifted from cuddling her legs to press her temples while her forehead rested on her knees.

"You really didn't know, did you?" Draco said. Hermione didn't look up to see what his facial expression had turned to, but his tone of voice had softened. "You've known the Weasleys since you were eleven and they never told you about the Order of the Phoenix?"

Once again it was like he'd read her mind.

She looked up at him with sharp eyes. "The Order of the Phoenix?" Hermione repeated trying to rack through her brain to remember any mention of the mafia or Draco Malfoy.

Then all of a sudden it hit her.

The tattoos.

She wasn't sure why she'd never questioned it before but now, now it all made sense.

The Weasleys all had the same phoenix tattoo.

Ginny's was small, about the size of a £2 coin, on the inside of her right wrist. Charlie's was painted across his back, the tail dragging down his spine while the wings stretched across his shoulders, red and yellow flames bordering the darker outline. Ron's was on his left peck, just above his heart. Slightly bigger than Ginny's but not as big as Charlie's.

Bill's twisted around his neck; Fleur's was on her ankle. The twins had matching ones on their arses. Molly, Arthur, Angelina... They all had them.

And so did Harry.

He'd had it done the day before the wedding and at the time Hermione had questioned it. But now she understood.

She understood why Percy didn't get along with his family.

She understood why they all had so many scars.

It all started to make sense.

Hermione threw herself off the bed and flung all her weight towards Draco, grabbing his left arm to inspect the tattoo she'd previously seen. He tried to fight her grip but she was stronger than she looked. A skull... A snake...

"Death eaters..." The young woman whispered as she let go of his arm and stepped back, falling back into the bed as her knees once again collided with the cold metal.

Draco stared at her blankly, "How do you know that but not abo-"

"Charlie." Hermione interrupted him, this time her voice was a little louder. She looked up at him, their eyes connected once again. Hermione couldn't explain what his eyes did to her, or why but it seemed to still her thoughts and calm her. But she still couldn't stop herself asking; "You're going to kill me, aren't you?"

The man studied her for a second, her breathing becoming less rapid, her chest lessening in its movement. His lips separated to speak, "On the contrary, I'm planning on-"

The door swung open. Draco's mouth closed in frustration. "I'm busy." He growled without taking his eyes off Hermione. Hermione was sure that he hadn't even looked to see who it was standing in the doorway but yet he continued. "I told you not to disturb me, Pansy."

Hermione looked over towards the door where a young woman with short raven hair stood. She was dressed in all black- 5-inch heeled boots, fishnet tights, a leather skirt that just about covered her bum and a low dip V-neck crop top. Hermione could see the small black skull and snake tattoo on the porcelain skin of her collar bone.

The young girl, Pansy, bit down on her black painted lip. "Draco, it's your mum,"

Instantly Draco pulled his attention away from Hermione. His eyes widened with panic before turning back to Hermione. "Stay here!" He spat before turning to grab his gun from where it was still resting on the coffee table and turning towards the door.

Hermione watched his actions closely. Upon his leave Hermione made eye contact with the woman. The brunette couldn't decipher the expression that was staring back at her. Not that the other woman stayed in the room much longer. She followed Malfoy out, slamming the door shut behind her.

Slowly the bright lights began to blur, red and blue blending together until her eyelashes began to touch. Her back hitting the silk sheets with a thud.

XXX

Everything seemed to hurt when Hermione's conciseness came back to her.

Her eyelids felt heavy and her head was pounding but the worst pain she had seemed to be coming from her left wrist.

With all her might, Hermione wrenched her eyes open to a foreign environment, not that Draco Malfoy's room was somewhere she'd been so much she could call home. But this was a new room, a new bed.

She was sprawled out on a large four post light wood canopy bed; white sheets were keeping her warm as white drapes hid the ceiling and sides of the room from her. All she could see as she pushed herself up to a sitting position was the white loveseat on the other side of the small room. "Oh great, you're here," she deadpanned.

"Nice to see you, too, Granger." The blonde replied with a smirk, his hair falling in his eyes.

She lifted her hands to rub her temples, letting her eyes close for a second to see if she was in a dream or not. Her eyes opened again... not a dream.

The blonde jumped slightly as the girl shrieked. Her right hand gripping her left wrist, her gaze snapped up to him. "Did you roofie and then brand me?"

"Well you are a smart one. Took you what? 20 seconds?" He bluntly replied as she gapped at him like a fish out of water. Her thumb ran over the making that had appeared on her wrist. The same snake and skull the blonde had, only smaller, the same size as Ginny's just on the opposite wrist.

Hermione raised her sight to stare at the man opposite her, furry taking over her mind as she shoved the duvet cover off herself and swung her legs off the side of the bed. "You!" She screamed as she charged towards her capture, "You foul, loathsome, evil, little cockroach!"

She hadn't even registered the fact that she'd balled her fist, raised it, pulled it back and pushed forwards again until Malfoy caught her fist and held a tight grip upon her hand.

Panic and fear spread across the young girl's face as she stared into his grey eyes. She could see his anger; she could feel his anger.

Letting out a deep sigh, Malfoy closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Granger, I'm trying very hard to welcome you with open arms here." He said through gritted teeth as he released Hermione's hand. "It would be nice if you did the same."

Hermione scoffed as she took a step away from him, "What's your plan, Malfoy?"

The blonde gave her the biggest smirk she'd seen him form in the last few hours. He shoved one hand in his pocket as the other ran through his platinum locks. Hermione couldn't help but jump in confusion as he placed his hand on her cheek, "You Hermione Granger, you're going to be my queen." The pad of his thumb brushed against her cheek bone, in response Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away from him. But not quick enough, his hand fell from her cheek to wrap around her wrist. "And you're going to help me destroy the Order of the Phoenix."

"I will never be your queen, Malfoy." With that she forced his grip to loosen and turned her back to him. It was the most she could do, it wasn't like she could leave the building, or the room for that matter.

Hermione groaned as she stared at her bare feet, she'd noticed her shoes by the side of the bed when she'd woke up. At least who ever brought her here was kind enough to take her heels off and tuck her in. "You knew about me before tonight, didn't you?"

"Before I answer that, I need you to know something." Reluctantly, Hermione turned to face him. Taking a few steps backwards, she reached the bed, sitting down she gave him a nod to continue. "I'm never going to force you to do something. I'm not a bad person. I know what your brother and the Weasleys think of me, but once you get to know me... I'm not a bad guy."

Hermione took a deep breath before letting her sight fall to the floor again. "I saw your reaction when that girl, Pansy, came in to tell you about your mother. I believe you're not heartless but that doesn't stop me thinking you're a dick."

"We've been monitoring you since Hogwarts." Malfoy answered honestly after a few moments of silence. With a sigh he pulled his hand from his pocket, her phone in his hand. "Crabbe and Goyle will drop you off in Central Park. Get Potter or someone to pick you up from there."

Hermione had to blink a few times before she could react, "You're letting me go?"

The young girl stood quickly and made her way towards him, taking her phone before he could change his mind. "Tell Ginny that Blaise Zabini says hi." Hermione was confused to say the least, what was the point of telling her that she would be a 'queen' that she would be Draco Malfoy's, if they were just going to let her go straight out of the Burrow, back to Charlie and Ron. "But Granger, make sure Arthur Weasley knows that I'm coming to collect you in two weeks. Make the most of your final days with Charlie and Ron because once you're back here, I'll be the only guy you sleep with for the rest of your life."

"Way to ruin the moment, Malfoy." She sighed as she gave him one final look over her shoulder before grabbing her shoes and making her way from the room without a second glance back.

It was only until Hermione reached a spilt in the hallway that she realised she didn't know where she was or where she was going. In a huff she turned to face the two men that were escorting her. She waited patiently for them to reach her, one of them taking a sharp left while the other lingered behind her, waiting for her to move.

As they made their way down a maze of well decorated corridors, Hermione let herself get lost in the spiral that was happening in her head.

It didn't make any sense to her. From what Malfoy had explicitly said, they'd been watching Harry and her since they were eleven. But that didn't fit into the puzzle that her subconscious had created. Why? That was the question that kept appearing but not being answered.

Why would a mafia in New York stalk two kids who became friends with the kids in their rival mafia? Obviously now that Harry had married Ginny, it made sense that the Death Eaters would want to watch him but not Hermione. She was only staying with them while she figured out what she wanted to do. She'd been in New York for 5 months now and her flight back was booked for October.

Hermione was no threat to them, yet they'd been watching her for 12 years. Unless this had nothing to do with her being a threat. Malfoy had said she was to be his queen, and he knew she was smart and skilled.

That's when it hit her. As she stepped onto the landing that led her to the two grand staircases, she was to be a weapon. The Death Eaters were going to use her to... Win? They would use Hermione Granger to win whatever battle they were having with the Weasleys... With the Order of the Phoenix.

She began her descent down the left staircase, her fingers brushing along the cold gold that formed the railing as her bare feet bounced down the stairs delicately, enjoying the feel of the red runner lining the light marble.

As the three of them reached the front door, the man who'd been walking in front of her held out a black sack. Hermione eyed the shorter one of the two before groaning and snatching in from his grip. She held it loosely to her side as she slid her heels on before pulling the material over her head.

One of them grabbed her arm not long after, she didn't fight him as he guided her from the house and towards a car. They were talking her back to the Burrow, why would she fight them on this?

Hermione lost track of time as she sat in the back seat of the car. It only felt like they'd left the building a few minutes ago when the sack was pulled from her head, and once it was off she didn't bother timing how long she was trapped before they reached Central Park. They came to a stop, the guy in the passenger's seat turning to face Hermione. "We'll see you soon Miss Granger."

"I can't wait." She replied bluntly with an eye roll before opening the door, "Who's who?" She asked, her hand still resting on the door handle.

"Vincent Crabbe." The guy in the passenger seat nodded and Hermione smiled back. He was the shorter of the two, and the larger. His buzz cut hair was a dark brown and his eyes a sharp green.

"Gregory Goyle." The other said, watching Hermione in the rear-view mirror. He was a good few inches taller than Crabbe and had a more muscular build compared to the other guy- buffer than Draco but not as slim as the Weasleys.

Hermione smiled and nodded, "Until next time." and with that she slid out the car, closed the door and turned her back to them. Within an instant they drove off, letting out a sigh of relief, Hermione walked into the park in search of a bench.

Once seated, the young girl pulled her phone from the pocket of her dress. Unlocking it, Hermione went straight to contacts, hitting her brother's name she sat staring at her phone for a minute. What would she say?

Calling Ron or Charlie crossed her mind but quickly decided that would be a bad idea. She could call Ginny, or the twins. But then again, she could just call Arthur. Growling in frustration she locked her phone.

Hugging herself, Hermione looked out across the park. It was pretty early on a Wednesday morning and she was surprised by the number of people already out and about.

It was as the brunette shivered for the second time she decided that she needed to ring someone. And the only person who would get their quick enough was Harry. Of course if she told any of the Weasleys what had happened in the last few hours they would rush to her but she needed Harry. She needed her brother.

Unlocking her phone again she didn't delay to hit the call icon, nor did her brother delay to pick up, and by the second ring his voice was soothing her from the other side. "Hermione!"

"Harry I'm so sorry," Hermione sighed as she blurted out an apology. Not cool, girl. "I didn't mean for it to happen- I didn't know it was- it had it was basically over-"

"Hermione," Harry interrupted, his tone of voice one of worry again. "Where are you and what has happened?"

Hermione pulled the phone away from her ear as she quickly sent her location via text. Hermione sat there mumbling for a few minutes, not too sure on what to say until he said he was getting into the car to pick her up. With that she hung up. It would be easier to tell him in person. At least that's what she hoped.

XXX

When I look at my tattoo now, I recall different memories to when I first had it done.

I think of my love and my friends.

And when I look at the phoenix on my other wrist, I think of my brother and the pain I put him through.


	3. Chapter 3

**_All relationships go through hell. The real ones get through it._ **

I thought telling Harry about Malfoy would be the hardest thing to do that day.

But I was wrong.

The hardest thing I did on the 16th of May was trying to fix my relationships with Ron and Charlie.

I love Ron.

I loved Charlie.

But they weren't the other half of my puzzle. My missing piece was Draco Malfoy. I just wish I'd realised it sooner. I wish I could have had more time with him.

XXX

16th May

Hermione didn't know how to feel as she sat at the extremely large table in the Burrow. She was happier now that she was out of her dress and in an oversized hoodie, joggers and fluffy socks. One knee was pulled up to her chest and the other tucked through the gap between the other. Her chin rested on her knee, hair kept back from her face with a messy bun.

She could see how tense everyone else sat around the table was. Hermione could practically feel the stress and worry radiating off Harry who sat beside her. She had been the last to enter the room and Hermione had to stop herself gasping when she walked through the door. She'd tallied up how many people there were as she made her way to her seat- 14.

"Hermione, I know it's a lot to ask." Arthur sighed from where he was seated at the head of the table, "But we need to know what was said, who you saw, anything you can remember."

Harry began to shake his head, fist clenched at his side. "No! What she needs is to go home! Back to London. We made a deal, Arthur."

Hermione shot her head in her brothers' direction, "What?" She watched as Harry's eyes widened. He slowly turned to look at his sister, pure horror painted across his face at what he let slip.

"Shit." He groaned under his breath. No one else at the table dared say a word as the siblings watched each other. Hermione glared at him while she waited for an explanation. "Can we talk about it later? When it's just us?" Hermione raised an eyebrow in annoyance as she continued to silently glare at her brother. Harry groaned once again, dripping his head to his hands he gave up. "I never wanted you to get involved with all this, Hermione. I had no choice- my parents, they were a part of the Order. I'm a member by birth right. You, you were never supposed to find out about it. You were supposed to be kept safe."

Hermione placed her hand on Harry's shoulder. Her features had settled, her eyes soft as they connected with Harry's. He nodded in understanding before sitting back in his seat and remaining silent. That was one of Hermione's favourite things about her relationship with Harry, they could communicate with a single look.

Hermione pulled her hand back before turning her attention back to Arthur. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and gave a nod of her head. "Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, they're the ones who took me, they also brought me back, well, to Central Park."

"Malfoy's bodyguards," Bill informed from his seat on his father's right. "Where ever Draco Malfoy goes, Crabbe and Goyle aren't far behind."

That's what her life would be like from now on, was Hermione's only thought as she listened to Bill. No one in this house would ever let her go anywhere without protection. "There was someone else I saw, Pansy."

"Pansy Parkinson-Zabini." Ginny growled from her seat beside Harry, "She's one of Malfoy's closest friends."

Hermione gulped as she looked at her best friend, "Zabini?" Ginny turned to face her, her features screwing up as she gave a small nod. "Draco mentioned Blaise Zabini, told me to tell you he said hi."

Ginny growled again but this time there was more fury in her tone. Hermione guessed that was a story for another time or from another person.

Silence fell over the room for a few minutes. Hermione dropped her knee, crossing her legs beneath her on the chair. She took the opportunity to look around the table, more specifically, Ron and Charlie. Ron was staring at the door, his arms crossed to his chest as he slouched at the other end of the table. Charlie was opposite her, his head was in his hands but yet he seemed to be watching her. He looked up, and for a short second their eyes connected. "He wants me to be his queen." She'd said it without thinking. The words had just slipped from her mouth.

Charlie glared at her for what felt like an eternity before dropping his head and standing. "Charlie, please." He stopped in his tracks, frozen between the door and the table. All eyes seemed to be on her, but she didn't care. It seemed today was the day truths were coming out.

Slowly he turned to face her. His red hair falling into his eyes, as he slipped his hand into his pocket. "Marry me?"

Hermione began to choke on thin air. Her eyes widening in shook. Stupidly she turned her head towards Ron who seemed to be glaring at his brother and not Hermione unlike everyone else. "Charlie, can we go somewhere else?"

"No, I think you should answer the question." Ron sneered from where he was sat, eyes still on Charlie.

"Ron, please don't,"

Her pleads seemed to make it worse. It only took Charlie a few minutes of thinking before his eyes widened and he shook his head in disbelief. He once again turned for the door, and once again Hermione called after him, no longer caring that there was anyone else in the room.

In a state of fury, Charlie spun on his heels to face her. His index finger pointed at her accusingly, "I love you Hermione! And this whole time, you've been fucking Ron behind my back!"

XXX

Hermione didn't bother to look at the door as it creaked open. What was the point? She'd fucked up with Ron and Charlie. Molly wasn't talking to her. Ginny was disappointed in her and the twins just teased her every time they crossed paths. It had only been a few hours yet it seemed she'd cause the biggest family feud since Percy.

She felt the bed dip beside her. "I've really fucked up haven't I?"

"You're not the only one."

The girl rolled onto her other side, looking up and her brother who was laying on his back, arms tucked under his head. Hermione smiled to herself as they lay there, it was like when they were younger. Spending their summers together, Hermione with a book and Harry playing with whatever was the trend at the time.

They'd always been close as siblings, but closer as best friends. "I'm going back to London."

Harry turned his head towards her, "I don't want you to." Hermione sighed as she rolled onto her back, her hands resting by her side.

"Draco's going to get me at some point, I'd rather make him come half way across the world to fetch me. I'd rather say goodbye to mum and dad."

Harry's hand slipped into hers, "I'm going to stop him Hermione, I promise."

I don't think you can, is what she wanted to say in response. Hermione loved her brother with all her heart but the gut feeling she had was telling her that no matter how hard she tried to run from her problems, they were always going to come back to bite her.

Harry raised her hand to his lips and kissed it before detaching himself and sliding off the bed, he stopped as he pulled the door open, watching Hermione over his shoulder. "I'll talk to Arthur about getting you home." And with that he left.

Her phone buzzed from its place on her bedside table not long after. With a groan she rolled over and picked it up.

_IMessage from Draco Malfoy_

Hermione couldn't help but snort as she unlocked her phone and opened up the message.

_DM: How did they take your news?_

_HG: It's a rather long story, Malfoy. I wouldn't want to bore you._

_DM: Nothing you say or do, Hermione Granger, will ever bore me._

_HG: Are you confessing your undying love for me over a text message, Mr. Malfoy?_

_DM: Of course not. When I confess that it will be in a much different way. Let us say by oh I don't know, my head between your thighs?_

_HG: Mr Malfoy you really shouldn't talk to a lady like that! You might just go putting pictures in her head._

_DM: I plan on putting more than pictures in you Hermione._

XXX

Hermione sighed in despair as she zipped up her suitcase and pulled it from her bed, leaving it by the door she sighed again and collapsed in a heap.

There was a soft rap of the door. Pulling her sleeves down her arms to cover her hands, Hermione made her way towards the bedroom door. She inhaled sharply as she opened the door, "Oh hi, sorry it's just... I wasn't expecting to see you."

"Can I come in?"

Hermione gulped as she nodded and opened the door enough for him to step through. "Harry said you're going back to London." He informed as he dropped onto her bed. The brunette nodded in response, giving confirmation that it was in fact true. A silence fell upon the room as Hermione shuffled uncomfortably by the door as her guest rested his head in his hands. "What happened to us, Hermione?"

Wrapping her arms around her small figure she sighed, "I've ruined everything haven't I?"

"How long?" Hermione turned her back to him in shame and walked towards the bathroom, "Hermione, how long have you been sleeping with him?"

The tone of voice wasn't aggressive, she could tell he was mad but that wasn't a surprise to her. She'd done something stupid and hurtful and gone against her own moral code, but they hadn't said they were exclusive. Neither brothers had ever explicitly told her that they wanted something more than casual sex.

Realistically, she could have had something more with one of them. Harry and her weren't biological siblings, so it wasn't really frowned upon, but to her, Harry was her blood. She couldn't have a relationship with Ron or Charlie because Harry was her blood. He would always be her blood.

"Four months." She whispered, too scared to face the man who'd been her best friend since the age of eleven.

"I'll stop him," Ron sighed, pushing off the bed he made his way towards her. His hand came to rest on her hip as he rested his chin on the crown of her head, she met his eyes in the mirror. "We won't let him take you Hermione, I swear."

Turning to face him, she sighed. "I don't think there is any stopping this Ron." Her arms coiled around his waist as he closed around her shoulders, Hermione buried her face in his chest, soaking up the scent of spearmint. Slowly she stepped back from him, "But what if we could use that to our advantage?"

The ginger grinned at the sight of her 'I've-got-an-idea' face, grabbing her hand they raced from the room and towards his father's study.

The pair burst through the door without knocking. Hermione dropped Ron's hand the moment her eyes met Charlie's across the room. He was slouched against the wall, arms crossed to his chest while one foot was resting on the wall.

Hermione broke away from the trance his blue eyes had locked her in, she turned to see her brother staring at her with a confused expression, Arthur's was not that far off Harry's.

Hermione gulped, looking back at Ron she started to think this was a mistake. He gave her one of his sweet smiles, the kind that makes her weak at the knees. Turning back to Arthur and Harry she took a deep breath. "Let him take me."

"I'm sorry..." Harry mumbled taking a step towards his sister and their best friend. "I thought you just said-"

"Let him take me." She stated again, looking directly at Arthur. "Let me gain his trust, let me become his right hand, let me bring them down from the inside."

Everyone stood in silence. Harry was in a state somewhere between utter confusion and sheer anger. Hermione knew he'd be against her plan; she'd also known he would be in here as her and Ron barged in. He'd promised her he would do whatever he could to stop Malfoy, but she had to do this. She was a part of this world now.

Arthur made his way towards his desk chair, lost in serious thought. He was considering her offer; she knew he would.

But it was Charlie's reaction that stopped her in her tracks. She hadn't expected him to be in the office. When Harry had come by earlier, he'd told her Charlie had stormed out of the house and no one could get a hold of him. Hermione assumed she wouldn't see him again before she left for London.

He pushed off the wall and she could feel the anger radiating off him. "You're going back to London." He growled as he made his way towards her, fists balled at his side.

She shook her head, "No, I'm going to help you get rid of the Death Eaters. That's what you all want right? Them gone?"

"Yes," The second oldest heir answered, still closing the gap between them. "But that doesn't mean that we're going to put you on the front line! For fucks sake Hermione! You're not even a member of the Order!"

"No, I'm not." The brunette responded, holding her ground. That was the thing about Hermione Granger, she was incredibly stubborn. "But I've got this," Rolling up her left sleeve, she shoved her new tattoo in his face.

Hermione flinched as his hot hand wrapped around her wrist. "You're going back to London. End of discussion."

She tried her best to shake him off as she glared into his piercing blue eyes. "You're not the boss of me Charlie!"

Hermione didn't expect what happened next. She'd seen Charlie angry before but what he did next was a new experience, one which she hated. Within an instant of her response, his free hand wrapped around her throat. Shoving her backwards, he dropped her hand as her back collided with the wall. His eyes were full of fury, she'd never seen Charlie like this before and she hoped more than anything she would never see this side of him again.

Her hands reached up to his wrist, desperately scratching at him. But he didn't stop, no, his hold upon her throat got tighter. Her eyes began to blur as she gulped in as much air as she could. Hermione could hear Harry and Ron screaming for Charlie to let go of her. She assumed they were physically trying to stop him as well, but she knew that even put together, Ron and Harry couldn't match Charlie's strength.

It was as they heard gun shots that Charlie's hand loosened and fell from her throat. Hermione collapsed on the floor, sucking in as many deep breaths as she could without it hurting. Harry was at her side straight away, but she didn't care about that.

What she really cared about was the fact that Charlie was staring at her, his hand still held out in front of him. He choked out a sob, "Hermione! I'm so sorry, I-I..."

XXX

The next thing I remember after that was Ron's hand on Charlie's shoulder. Then Ron's fist collided with Charlie's nose.

Arthur had been the one to fire the first gun shot.

It's funny how ironic that is now.

Arthur was the first to fire a gun in my story. And I was the one who fired a gun to end his.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiya, hope everyone had a good Christmas. Last update of this year... and probably for a little bit after, I've got two chapters left of my other story and then my focus will be to get as many chapters for NYNY I can. Hope you enjoy, SP101 xoxo

_**Feel like making a deal with the devil?** _

No one predicted that Malfoy and I would fall for each other.

I didn't see it coming, to be totally honest. Yes, I thought he was drop dead gorgeous but I never expected to fall head over heels in love with him. I never expected to fall as quickly as I did. Or to kiss him for the first time so soon after meeting.

But I wouldn't change it for the world.

My time with Draco and The Death Eaters was the highlight of my life. Don't get me wrong, I had the most amazing childhood. My family was my world and I still love them deeply, but The Death Eaters showed me a different type of joy, a different type of love and for that I will always be thankful.

XXX

16th May

"Harry, take Hermione to Fleur." Arthur sighed after hours of debating and planning. He'd kicked Charlie out of the office once he knew he was okay. Ron's punch had been impressive; there was no doubt his nose was broken due to the amount of blood dripping from it.

Arthur had tried to kick Ron out too, but Hermione had grabbed his hand and shook her head at Arthur. She wanted to tell him no, but her throat hurt too much to talk. Charlie had tried to apologise as he left but she didn't want to hear it. Charlie had just abused her, and she knew his family would give him shit for it, and that one day she would forgive him. But what he'd done was inexcusable and she needed space.

The plan was to let The Death Eaters know Hermione was flying back to London, that she was being 'hidden for her own safety'. They knew Malfoy would come running if she was alone. And she would be alone.

They would stay in London for a few weeks. The plan was for them to bond, for Hermione to prove herself, for Malfoy to meet her parents. She was to do anything and everything she could to get Malfoy to trust her.

He would convince her to go back to America, and she would agree. Hermione was to learn everything about the Death Eaters and report back to Arthur.

They would bring down The Death Eaters from the inside.

And it would all be down to Hermione Granger.

But she wasn't leaving the country without another tattoo. She wasn't leaving the country without becoming an Order member.

The siblings slowly stood and made their way towards the door, "Hermione," At the mention of her name, she turned to look at a man she'd looked up to for years, a man who'd lied to her for years. "Whatever happens, don't fall in love with Draco Malfoy. Understood?"

With a gulp she nodded, "Understood."

Harry and Hermione made their way down the corridor towards the stairs, "Fleur's on her way to the studio." Harry informed as he locked his phone and slid it into his pocket. "My dad and Sirius were in the Order."

"You don't have to explain-"

"I want to." He whispered as his hand slipped into hers. "Sirius' family were Death Eaters but Sirius was never interested in that lifestyle. He met my dad in primary, well elementary, and dad convinced Sirius to go to Hogwarts with him. Little did Sirius know, dad's family was a part of the Order. They met mum at school, she was English. By the sounds of it, her and dad didn't get along until seventh year."

It was strange for Hermione to be hearing about Harry's parents. They never talked about Harry's family; it was one of those topics they avoided because it wasn't something that Hermione could understand. She'd had the perfect childhood; the perfect parents and the sibling they always got along with. "Mum wanted to go travelling after Hogwarts, dad thought it would be fun to go with her. Sirius came back to America and joined the Order, his family disowned him. Mum and dad came back six months later engaged; mum joined the Order not long after. And then... Well you know the rest of the story."

"I'm so sorry Harry." She whispered as they slowly began to climb the many stairs that led to Fleur's tattoo studio.

"Draco's mother, Narcissa- she's Sirius' cousin."

Hermione didn't say anything in response, instead she squeezed his hand and shuffled closer to him. She knew it was an awful thing to think but she was glad all that happened, she was glad she got to have Harry as a brother.

XXX

"Well, well, look what we have here." Hermione smirked into her book as the blonde fell into the empty seat beside her.

She slipped her bookmark between the pages and slowly let the book close before turning to face him. "Nice to see you too, Malfoy."

He snorted, plucking the book from her grasps. "Don't call me that, you sound like your baby brother. Oh, don't tell me that he's been feeding you lies about me, Granger." She watched as he inspected the book from cover to cover. Limply, he tossed it back on to her lap before resting his ankle on his knee and stretching his arm across the edge of her chair.

"You know, I've been wanting a holiday for a while." The blonde continued as Hermione looked around the almost-empty airport lounge, giving Crabbe and Goyle a smile as her eyes met theirs. "But England wasn't what I had in mind."

Hermione huffed as she crossed her arms to her chest, giving him a dirty look. "You don't have to follow me to London like a lost puppy dog, you know."

He smirked, shaking his head, Draco began to tap his index finger behind her. "I would follow you to hell and back Hermione."

All she could do was gulp in response. She'd known him for less than 2 days, only spent a few hours with him and yet he had her under a spell. Hermione was intrigued by him or maybe it was infatuation, she couldn't tell.

"Whatever happens, don't fall in love with Draco Malfoy."

It had seemed like a ridiculous request in the early hours of the morning, but now, as she sat staring into those gorgeous sparking grey eyes... No. She couldn't. She was part of the Order now. She was going to bring them down from the inside.

But even when she forced herself to believe that, she couldn't stop herself imagining a life where maybe she could be with Malfoy. Holy fuck Hermione! She thought to herself, blinking a few times to regain focus. You've known this man for two days, stop fantasising!

"So how come they let you run away by yourself?" Draco questioned after watching her stare at him for at least five minutes. He was practically glowing under her heavy gaze. Like he somehow knew the mental battle she was having with herself.

Hermione sighed before lowering her head to grab her bag from beside her chair. "I wanted to spend my last days of freedom with my parents." She slowly placed her book in her bag and pulled the zip closed, "I needed space from all of them... From their secrets."

Not one of the three men said anything in response. Instead, she watched as Crabbe and Goyle stood, leaving the room to stand guard outside.

She watched as a pale hand extended towards her face and he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Draco let his hand rest upon her cheek, and instead of pulling away like her brain was telling her too, she embraced his touch.

Hermione let her eyes connect with Draco's, "Come Granger." His voice was low, as if trying not to wake a sleeping child, "We've got a flight to catch."

The pale hand fell from her cheek and joined itself with hers. Draco pulled her to her feet before picking up her bag and dragging her from the empty private lounge. As they walked through the busy main halls of JFK Hermione couldn't help but notice how perfectly her hand fitted in his, like they were designed for her- No. It quickly became a mantra in her head, she had two instructions; don't get caught and don't fall in love and at that moment in time she was falling at one, hours after she'd made the deal with Arthur.

"Um, Malfoy? My flight's not for another 2 hours."

"Nonsense." He replied as the pair cut in front of Crabbe and Goyle, heading towards another private section of the airport. She tried to argue back but in one quick movement, he was in front of her with his cold index finger resting on her lips. "We're taking my jet to London, Hermione. I've already had your luggage moved on to my plane. There's no way I'm getting on a commercial flight."

Hermione huffed in understanding as she rolled her eyes, that shouldn't surprise her really. Draco Malfoy had "spoiled rich boy" written all over him. From his polished leather oxfords, to his crisp dark-grey suit with white shirt. Even his platinum blonde pompadour cut hair reeked of money.

Then it hit Hermione. She stood hand in hand with that man, wearing sports leggings, an oversized hoodie and black trainers, her hair once again pulled up in a messy bun.

Hermione wasn't usually a person who worried about what other people thought of her, she never really cared much about her appearance but as she stood in the middle of JFK hand in hand with the heir to a Mafia, she suddenly released that she needed to up her game if she ever wanted this plan to work.

Reluctantly, she followed him.

XXX

Hermione wasn't sure how long they'd been in the air before she fell asleep, all she remembered was that they'd been above the ocean. But now as her eyes fluttered open, her first instinct was to look out the window.

"We're just over Bristol, Miss Granger."

Hermione focused her sight on the direction the voice had come from. "Thank you, Crabbe." She smiled as he gave her a nod in response and then went back to staring out the window next to him.

Stretching her arms above her head, Hermione yawned heavily. She was thankful she'd gotten some sleep during the flight, because after returning from Fleur's studio, she and Harry had curled up on the bed in silence. Neither of them slept much seeing as it was 3 am when they finally got back but Hermione hadn't needed sleep at that moment. She'd needed her brother. And Harry needed to keep his sister safe. Or at least try to.

"Ah good. You're awake."

Hermione jokingly groaned as she looked over her shoulder, shooting him a wide grin as he made his way towards her. "So, what's the plan, Granger?"

"Well," The brunette began as she pulled her knees up to her chest. "I was planning on going to pick my cat up, but I think that you, Mr. Malfoy, should take me shopping." She gave him a cheeky grin before standing, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders and walking towards the toilet, only stopping to grab the handle of her suitcase.

She thought it was stupid, them not putting her suit case in the hold but now she was thankful. He had access to her wardrobe and that meant she had access to an outfit to impress. Well "one for the part" was probably a better expression.

Hermione wasn't sure whether to snort or gasp as she entered the plane toilet- well, the bathroom would be another way to put it. Who the fuck has a bath tub on an aeroplane?... The Malfoys.

Locking the door behind herself, Hermione placed her suitcase on the floor. Kneeling beside it, she quickly pulled the zip and began to rummage through her possessions in search for something to wear.

After what seemed like hours' worth of searching, Hermione finally found the perfect outfit. She peeled off her oversized hoodie and tossed it into the open case. With a grunt she grabbed her hair brush and makeup case. She fought with her hair until it was in a half up, half down style, the tied-up part into a neat bun while curls shaped her face. She didn't bother going full out with her make up, just a natural look that was quick and easy while being 35000 feet above the ground.

"Well?" She grinned as she re-joined the huddle of men.

She couldn't help but let her smile grow as she watched Malfoy's eyes widen in shock and then him gulp down the lump she'd created in his throat.

The outfit she'd decided on in the end was a pair of 3/4 length grey and beige Glen check trousers and matching blazer. A beige off the shoulder, V-neck knit sweater long sleeved top and natural coloured close-toe heels.

And it had left Draco Malfoy speechless.

Not only speechless, but hard.

She snorted in amusement, watching as he readjusted the crotch of his trousers and coughed. Suddenly he began to move towards her, his hand wrapped around her upper arm, dragging her back through the door she'd just walked through.

"What the hell, Malfoy?" Hermione glared at him, watching as he slammed the door shut and locked it. "Oh, don't tell me you-"

"Shut up Granger." He snapped as he rested his head against the door. Hermione slammed her jaw shut as she listened to his heavy breathing. And for the second time since being reunited with him, Hermione came to yet another realisation.

Without a second thought she was closing the distance between the two of them, not that it was a huge gap. She placed her shaking hand on his shoulder, slowly he turned his head to look over his shoulder. Their eyes met.

He was facing her within an instant, his large left hand on her waist, while his other cradled her neck. Then his lips came crashing down onto hers. She twined her arms around his middle as they fought for dominance in their kiss.

He spun her, letting her crash against the door as he curled strands of hair around his index finger. Hermione couldn't explain the feeling coursing through her blood as she let his lips claim hers as his own.

Hermione pulled away, blinking a few times as she rested her forehead against his, both of them trying to catch their breath. And once again Hermione realised something; Hermione would be Draco Malfoy's queen and she would relish by his side.

Hermione was never going back to the Order.

She was going to fall in love with Draco Malfoy.

And he was going to fall for her.

XXX

I had too many revelations that day.

My brain just didn't want to turn off and let me enjoy my first proper day as Draco Malfoy's queen. But it got better, but that's a story for another time.

Right now we've talking about London.

And next time, we'll be talking about Luna Lovegood.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! (I know, I know it's a few days late) I've started making a Pinterest board for this story, links in my Instagram bio lost.in.the.multi_verse_ if you're interested. Next update might not be for a few weeks sorry about that, as always much love, enjoy reading. SP101 xx

_**She could be heaven or hell, a strong man's dream or a weak one's nightmare.** _

Back at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron and I practically ruled the school. The three of us got away with anything and everything. They were my best friends.

But every girl is a part of a girl's group, and my group is composed of my sister-in-law and my closest female friend. Luna Lovegood.

XXX

18th May

The rest of the journey back to London was as ordinary as a flight on a private jet with a man who kidnapped you, branded you, and planned on making you his bride could be.

After her third revelation of the day, Hermione unlocked the door and scrambled from the plane's bathroom, slamming it shut behind her. She'd taken a deep breathe to compose herself and walked back to her seat, avoiding looking at the two men accompanying them.

Draco appeared back in the main body of the plane about five minutes later. He didn't look at the brunette as he walked towards his seat next to her or as he fell into it. He didn't speak to her as she watched the plane begin to descend, or as they made their way off the plane.

Goyle however told her that they would be going straight to London city centre and wouldn't be going through security. Hermione was perplexed by the fact that they were just allowed to get off the plane and drive away but she soon remembered Draco was more than likely to have friends in high places. After all, the King of England wouldn't go through security.

She thanked Crabbe for holding the door open as she climbed into the back seats of the limo that had pulled up next to the plane. As she waited for the men to finish the little chat she knew they were having and to get in the car, she pulled her phone out from her handbag. Holding down the power button she stared out the tinted window. Once it had powered up completely, she quickly unlocked it and sent a message to Harry. _In London, all is going according to plan. Love you xx._ Well, that wasn't totally true but Harry didn't need to know that Hermione had just kissed Malfoy on the plane or that she had realised she was going to fall in love with him at some point in her life.

Just as she locked her phone the door on the right swung open, Draco sliding into place next to her. There was a screen between the front and back, and it just so happened that screen was up. Hermione waited another five minutes before the engine started and the vehicle began to pull forwards.

Hermione didn't take her eyes off the window as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I want to stay in my flat."

"Okay." He replied straight away, his tone dull as if he wasn't even listening.

The brunette could see his reflection in the window, he was staring straight ahead, at the black screen that separated them from the body guards. "And I want to see my parents. Today, preferably. I miss my cat."

"That can be arranged." He replied once again sounding like a robot, as if the response had been programmed into him.

With a heavy sigh, she turned to face him. "And I want you to fuck me right here, on the back seat of this limo." Crossing her arms to her chest, she lifted an eyebrow at him in annoyance. He turned to look at her slowly, his grey irises boring into her soul.

"Watch your attitude, Granger," He growled as they shot daggers at one another. Even though she'd gotten a non-computed response she wished she hadn't said it. Man if looks could kill, Hermione would probably be lying dead on the leather seat. "Or your wish might just come true."

XXX

Hermione watched with a smirk as Crabbe and Goyle loaded bag after bag of Hermione's new wardrobe into the small boot of the limo. She'd somehow managed to convince Draco to take her to Harrods, Fortnum and Mason, as well as Liberty and Harvy Nichols. And now, she was patiently waiting for their lunch at the shard. The news that they were having their lunch there had shocked her, unbeknown to her they'd somehow been able to get a table for that day.

Once the two had stored the bags Crabbe opened up the door to the passenger's side door. Hermione shot Draco a glance as she stepped towards the open door, thanking Crabbe as she sat and let him close the door behind her.

As she read over a text from her brother, Hermione could see the three Americans discussing something out of the corner of her eye. All of a sudden, her phone began to buzz in her hand, Harry's name flashing up at the top. Quickly she accepted the call and raised the device to her ear. "What's up?"

"Just thought you'd like to know that Ron and Charlie had another fight."

Hermione sighed as she rubbed her forehead with her thumb and index finger, "What happened?" It was a stupid question to ask. She was sure the reason would have something to do with her but it wasn't like she could just brush it under the rug. And she still needed to know the consequences of their actions.

The young woman watched her three companions' bicker over something she couldn't make out from the car. "I'm not exactly sure." Hermione could tell Harry was stressed, and she wished more than anything she could give him a hug and tell him that everything would be okay like she did when they were younger. But she couldn't. "I think Charlie was insisting on flying to London to bring you back to the Burrow and Ron told him he was being delusional. In all honesty I'm not sure but it got violent and they're both in the hospital."

"And why, pray tell," Hermione almost shouted as she watched the three men separate outside. "Did you let them near each other? Harry, we agreed that you would keep them apart!" The car door swung open; Draco slid into his seat beside the brunette. He was staring at his phone and he seemed angry. "You know what, hold that thought. I'll call you back later."

She didn't wait for her brother's reply, pulling the phone away from her ear she hung up and screamed as she stomped her feet. Her head falling into her hands as she dropped her phone to the floor of the car.

"Why are men such... such... Ugh!" She tossed her head back in annoyance, that's when she caught Draco staring at her. She rolled her head to look at him, her chocolate orbs connecting with his mystical grey ones. They were so lost in each other's gazes they didn't notice as the car began to roll forwards.

"Have I told you how beautiful you are?" He whispered, his voice deep with desire. And in all honesty, Hermione loved it. She shouldn't have.

She'd made a promise. A deal.

Yet, she couldn't stop herself shuffling towards him and straddling his lap. "My family is going to kill me." She replied, her voice just as low and full of just as much desire as his.

Pale hands found their way onto her waist, as Hermione's rested on his shoulders. Their breathing heavy as they impatiently stared at one another, waiting for someone to make the first move. Draco's gaze broke away from hers, looking down upon her lips; taking the opportunity, Hermione darted her tongue out to lick her lips.

As soon as her lips sealed again, another pair were placed against hers. This kiss wasn't as lustful as the one they had shared earlier on in the day. Draco was gentler with his movements, his arms closing around Hermione's body as he softly moved his lips against hers.

He wasn't claiming her unlike last time, no, this time he was showing her he cared. Hermione's hands slid towards his neck and quickly found their way into his hair. Slowly she began to separate her lips, allowing him total dominance over her mouth. His tongue slid in without complaint, as he held her close.

It wasn't long before his lips were moving away from her own. They trailed a path of kisses across the corner of her mouth and cheek, quickly finding her neck and slowly beginning his descent. That was until he reached the neckline of her knitted top. His lips pulled away and were replaced by his hands, pulling down the fabric to reveal the curve of her breast.

"Care to explain?" The blonde growled in frustration.

Hermione had known it would only be a matter of time before Draco found out about what Arthur's parting gift had been. She bit down on her bottom lip in worry, a habit she'd picked up in school as a way to show her anxiety to her brother. Harry had learned that when Hermione fulfilled this action that he needed to step in. As a young girl, and now as a grown one, she didn't handle social situations that well. Harry would always step in and deal with the issue, or cover for her.

Hermione sighed as she stared at a section of red stitching on the black leather seats. She hadn't noticed it until halfway through their first journey in the limo; but now that she knew it was there, she couldn't get it out of her head. It reminded her of when Harry, Ron and Herself would sneak into the nearest city on Hogsmeade trip days to go to the cinema.

Her hands fell from his hair, once again coming to rest on his shoulders. "They wouldn't let me leave unless I had it." Well, it wasn't a complete lie. Arthur and Harry had insisted that Hermione be marked with the Order's symbol. However, it was because she was becoming a spy for them. Not because they were scared for her safety once she left the Burrow, the Weasley's knew better than anyone that Hermione could protect herself.

Draco's touch was fire upon her skin as he trailed his finger over the Phoenix tattoo embedded into the skin above her collar bone. His touch lifted, in surprise Hermione turned to look at him once again. His eyes met hers as he lowered his lips upon the red, orange and gold that was printed onto her flesh. "One day, Hermione," He whispered between pecks, his eyes still connected with hers. "You going to look at the marking and smile."

"An- and wh...why is tha-t?" She stuttered as she tossed her head back, Draco's lips once again moving towards her own only this time they darted for her ear.

He nipped her neck a few times before whispering back his reply. His voice was menacing and eyes full of plans as his hot breath sent shivers down her spine. "Because the Order of the Phoenix brought you and I together."

Hermione gulped before letting out a moan as the blonde bit down on her shoulder. Her head rolled back once again, her eyes fluttering. The car pulled to a halt rather quickly, Hermione's head collided with the screen. Calling out in pain she rolled off Draco's lap and shuffled back over to her seat, hands clinging into the back of her head as she waited for the throbbing to go down. "Are you okay?"

"Um hum." Was the reply through gritted teeth. They sat in silence as the car began to move again, Goyle had obviously been trying to get through a light before it turned red but he hadn't made it, slamming the breaks on instead. The pain went down rather quickly, once it was mostly gone, Hermione reached her hand down into the foot well to retrieve her phone. She examined herself in the black screen, readjusting her top to cover the large bite mark Draco had left.

Looking out the window, she dropped her phone once again. She gasped. "Pull over!" She screamed, banging her fists on the black glass separating her and Draco from Crabbe and Goyle. "Pull over right now!" Hermione didn't wait for the car to come to a complete halt before swinging her door open and racing out. Slamming the door behind her and quickly walking back down the same way they had just driven.

She could hear Draco calling her name, and she took a wild guess that he was chasing her. But she didn't care. The only thing she cared about was what she'd just seen. "Luna!"

A short girl with wavy blonde hair came to a stop a few meters away. Slowly she began to turn, "Hermione!" A grin spread across Hermione's face as she broke into a run towards her friend. As they reached each other, Hermione threw her arms around Luna's waist. "I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too." She whispered back before they broke apart, both grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Hermione!" The woman in question rolled her eyes and groaned as she turned to face Draco. She crossed her arms to her chest as he closed the distance between them. He had one hand in his pocket, the other in his hair. And he looked pissed. "What are you doing? We are going to be late!"

Scoffing in response, she shook her head. "Luna, this is Draco. He's a friend from America."

"I'm her boyfriend." He shot back with a dark glint in his eye. "And we are going to be late for lunch." The brunette didn't respond, she just glared at him. Luna coughed uncomfortably, looking between her friend and the man she was eye locked with. "Ugh fine." He groaned as he dropped his arms from his chest. "Would you like to join us for lunch?"

Hermione turned to face Luna, and she couldn't say no after seeing how happy the brunette looked. "Sure, why not." Hermione pulled her into another hug before joining their hands and marching past Draco. Yet when they reached the limo, he was already back in his seat, eyes glued to his phone screen.

Hermione got in first, sliding into the middle seat, which she would have complained about if it wasn't for the fact that the middle seat of the limo was the same size as the other two seats. Hermione grabbed her phone from the foot well once again just as Luna fell onto the seat. "Wow, this is cool."

"And expensive." Draco growled just loud enough for Hermione to hear. In response she elbowed him in the ribs before turning her back to him so that she could catch up with her friend. The two girls spend the whole journey talking about what they'd been up to in the few months Hermione had been off in America. Luna enquired about Ginny, Harry and Ron; Hermione explained they were well, that the couple were enjoying married life. She thought it was best to leave out the whole sleeping with Ron and Charlie at the same time, and of course the whole Mafia business that had been very recently introduced to her life.

Draco stayed relatively quiet, which was a surprise to Hermione. The only time she'd seen him quite was when she'd abandoned him after their kiss on the plane and, well, now. Once they were out of the limo and heading towards the shard, his phone began to ring. "I have to get this, it's Blaise." Hermione had nodded in understanding; it was a business call. He kissed her on the temple before diverting towards a quiet place to talk while the two Brits followed the pair of American bodyguards towards the restaurant.

The missing member of the group arrived ten minutes later. He dipped his head to whisper something to Crabbe as he came through the door before taking a seat next to Hermione. Crabbe and Goyle exchanged worried looks from where they stood either side of the private room. "Everything okay?"

Hermione lifted her wine glass to her lips, worry shining through her gaze as her eyes met the stone-cold grey ones that were quickly becoming rather worm towards her. "Just a trade that went wrong, nothing too bad."

"So Draco," The eye contact between the pair broke as their heads snapped towards Luna, "What do you do for a living?"

Draco eyed her up and down, "I run my father's company, or at least, once he retires I will. He's been showing me the ropes for a few years." Luna smiled in response, giving a nod she took a sip of her wine.

"And what is the business?" Hermione shot her a look, telling her to quit while she was ahead but instead, she rounded on Hermione. "Don't worry, your next. Draco?"

Hermione and Draco shared another look, neither too sure what was going on. A phone buzzed on the table, Harry's name appearing as a picture of the siblings covered the screen. With a groan she hit the decline icon, turning back to Luna who gave her a shocked look. Hermione never declined calls from her brother.

"I'm in the liquor business," The blonde informed, sitting back in his chair and placing his ankle on his knee. He ran his hand through his hair yet again, before picking up his glass. Luna shifted in her seat, turning her head away from Hermione.

The girl in question sat silently as Luna and Draco conversed. All she could think about was the kiss the pair had shared in the car. Harry and Arthur were under the impression that Draco would use Hermione to gain information about the Order. That he would use her and then kill her. She was the first pawn in a game of chess. But the way he'd kissed her, that wasn't the way you kissed someone who you planned on killing. At the start, they might have planned on using her before putting a gun to her head after; but now, in the two days that she'd known Draco Malfoy, something had changed.

They always say that you should never meet your idols, because they will disappoint you. But maybe their meeting had changed something in Draco. Maybe it was a case of love at first sight? Hermione could guess that he didn't invite all the people they kidnapped up to his bedroom for a drink, or perhaps he had done it as a way to drug her. Yes, that had been the point in the end, but they could have drugged her in the interrogation room they had her in at the start of this whole thing.

Or maybe the plan had been to make Hermione his queen from day one. They had been watching her since she was eleven years old after all. Being involved with the Weasleys, she would have learnt the truth eventually. Even more so, with Harry's parents being involved and Sirius.

It made her wonder who else at Hogwarts had been, or are, involved. Harry and Dumbledore had always been close, Remus Lupin had been a friend of James Potter and Sirius Black, a best friend at that. Snape had been an American, but maybe that was just a coincidence.

But how many coincidences can someone spot in their lives? Who walks on the fine line between what is a coincidence and what is a truth? But then again, who decided that her life would turn out this way?

If Harry hadn't been adopted by her parents, then she wouldn't have gone to Hogwarts. She would never have met the Weasleys and she wouldn't be here, in the shard, with Draco Malfoy. She wouldn't have kissed Ron during the welcome back party at the start of year thirteen. Charlie wouldn't have taken her out on a date during her first visit to New York.

But it didn't matter how many 'what ifs?' her mind devised. This was her life. And the path she was walking upon was leading her to a future of power. And somewhere deep down, that thought excited her. The initial shock of the whole Mafia thing was starting to wear off, slowly she was starting to wish she was back in New York in the centre of it all. It had been a mistake to flee to London.

Or had it? This way she would grow closer to Draco, making it a hell of a lot easier for the plan to work. That was of course if she could get the feeling out of her, as if someone was nibbling away at her gut.

XXX

I release now that the feeling was not wanting to overthrow the Death Eaters.

I had quickly come to like Draco. If you look past the whole heir to the Mafia thing, he is a sweet guy who placed his family and friends before anything else. Like with Poppy, he loves her like a sister, and protects her like one.

Blaise is as good as a brother to Draco, and Pansy, his sister.

It always amazed me how close the trio were but one would say the same for Harry, Ron and I. Poppy and Ginny weren't different, they were both the younger sister in love with their sibling's best friends. Only for Poppy, marrying Draco wasn't an achievable dream.


	6. Chapter 6

**_We're all in the same game; just different levels. Dealing with the same hell just different devils_**.

Once, when I was younger, Harry and I had a huge argument. Like siblings do. It was so bad that we didn't speak for a whole week. Don't ask me what it was about, I don't remember. But what I do remember was what my dad told me afterwards.

"No matter what happens in your life, you will always have Harry. One day, you're going to have your heart broken. One day Harry is going to have his heart broken. But do you know how you'll get through it? Together. Because people will walk in and out of your life, but not family. No matter what Hermione, you will have your brother. Nothing can shatter the bond between siblings. Blood is thicker than water."

Bet when dad told me that, he would never have imagined that the thing that broke mine and Harry's hearts, was me choosing Draco. In a way, I let Harry down. I went back on my deal; I chose the enemy.

And yes, blood is thicker than water. The only problem was, Harry and I didn't have the same blood running through our veins.

XXX

18th May

At school, Luna had always been the kid who others avoided because she was quirky. The other students didn't really get her, so they just avoided her, except the kids like Cormac McLaggen. McLaggen was the annoying jock that everyone hated yet still seemed to be popular, he tried out for the football team a few times but never made it. Hermione and him had a small fling in their sixth year at Hogwarts. And god did she regret it.

Yet, one of the smartest students to ever attend Hogwarts became friends with the quirky girl and the popular sporty redhead. After Hogwarts, the two kept in contact. Meeting up now and then for a few cocktails and catch up. That was, of course, until Hermione decided to move to New York and the women lost contact.

But there was something so mundane about having lunch with Luna that sent her back to the days when she didn't have to hide from Ron and Charlie, or deal with Harry pestering her about making sure Malfoy doesn't get too close to the truth. Or the monologue that was playing in her head 24/7 about whether this was the right decision.

She was focused on said inner monologue when she noticed both Luna and Draco were staring at her. "Sorry, I missed the question." Hermione gave her friend an apologetic smile as she drank the rest of her wine.

"I was wondering how the two of you met?" Luna replied, a tantalising smile forming on her features. Hermione knew that Luna wasn't trying to be a bitch, or tantalising for that matter. Luna didn't know this was all a cover.

The brunette shared a look with the American next to her. "We met at a club; really classy, I know." Hermione snatched Draco's glass from his grip and took a sip. He glanced at her and she prepared for one of his cold, heartless looks that she'd become accustomed to in the last two days. But when she watched him out of the corner of her eye, he just smiled and shook his head.

Draco glanced over his shoulder towards one of the doors, snapping his fingers for a waiter. Hermione rolled her eyes as a waiter made his way into the room, nervously he requested what they would like. "Two more bottles." The blonde replied. Once the waiter was gone, Draco sat forwards in his seat, his arm wrapping around Hermione's shoulders.

"Bill thought it would be a good idea to blow off some steam, so we headed to his club. We'd been there for a few hours; it was getting late and I was tired so I decided to go back to the Burrow." Hermione continued to explain, as the waiter came back into the room, filling up the empty one in front of Hermione and Luna's before offering the bottle to Hermione. She smiled politely in acceptance, holding the glass out. "It wasn't a long walk, about 10 minutes or so. I was about half way back when I walked straight into someone because I'd been staring at my phone. That someone turned out to be Draco."

The waiter placed the open bottle and the second on the table, before asking if they would like anything else. "Not for the time being, thank you." Was Hermione's reply as her phone began to buzz again.

"Go take it," Draco sighed as he ran his fingers through a strand of curls. "Potter is just going to keep calling, you ended your last call rather abruptly."

Hermione grabbed her phone from the table, turning to Draco she placed a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you," She whispered before heading from the room, Goyle following her. "Hey Harry."

"You declined my call." He grunted on the other side of the line.

Hermione couldn't stop herself rolling her eyes as she found a quiet corridor to stand in. "I'm in the middle of lunch with Luna." Discreetly she watched Goyle, he wasn't looking at her, his back was turned to her but she knew he was listening. "Look, can I call you back later? When I'm alone?"

"Yeah, but I want an update." Harry sighed and she was sure he was pinching the bridge of his nose, glasses on the nearest surface as he tried to remain patient. That was yet another problem Harry had; his lack of patience. He hated waiting and Hermione hated being near him when he was waiting. With another sigh he spoke again, "Love you."

In appreciation, a small smile formed on her lips. For once he wasn't pushing her, "Love you too, anything you want me to tell Luna?"

"Just that we miss her," He snorted before saying bye and hanging up.

Hermione slipped her phone into her pocket. Slowly she made her way back towards the room she'd left a few minutes ago. Despite the smile lingering on her lips, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was betraying Harry. She knew it sounded stupid but she'd promised his she wouldn't fall in love with Draco Malfoy however she couldn't shake the nauseating feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Maybe it wasn't a one-sided case of love at first sight.

The rest of lunch went smoothly, Hermione and Draco kept their cover pretty well considering they had spent no time creating a cover story. It settled Hermione's worries about spending time with her parents while Draco was around.

Helen and John Granger had been reluctant to accept their son's relationship with Ginny, a girl they'd known for years. Hermione couldn't even imagine how her parents would react to Hermione turning up out of the blue with an American 'boyfriend' and two henchmen. Not to mention the fact she now had two tattoos which she'd managed to cover with her clothing so that they weren't completely visible.

It felt strange heading back to her childhood home after being away for so long. How was she going to break the news that both their children would no longer be living in England? That they'd both flew the nest to a different country. What would happen to Crookshanks? He was an old cat, and she didn't want to burden him with the uncertainty of her future.

The car pulled to a stop on the familiar road, the sun was slowly beginning to dip in the sky. The door opened; Hermione looked up at Crabbe with uneasy eyes to accompany the feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Taking a deep breath, she swung her legs from the footwell and stepped out onto the quiet road. Draco's hand slipped into hers and squeezed it in reassurance, in surprise she looked up at him. "Wait in the car." Crabbe and Goyle nodded before sliding back into their seats. "Best if it's just the two of us."

Hermione removed her hand from his and threw her arms around his neck, her chin resting on his shoulder as she clenched her eyes shut. It took him a moment to register what was happening but once he did, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her curls. "Thank you," The woman whispered, boosting herself up a little more on her tiptoes. "They're going to hate you."

They both laughed as they pulled away from one another, not before he kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, I'll say the same when you meet my father."

Hermione snorted in response as she joined their hands once again, "Your father doesn't approve?" She asked sceptically once she noticed the seriousness in his face. It seemed stupid to her that he was promising half of his throne to a woman his father, the head of a mafia, did not approve of. But then again, she was an in-law to the Weasleys. She was an outsider. It made sense for Harry to marry Ginny with his parents being part of the order, but not Hermione.

"He believes in this stupid old tradition," Draco sighed as the couple began to cross the road, "It's a lot of information that I'll spare you for the time being, but no, my father doesn't approve in my choice of a queen. But we'll prove him wrong, you've got what it takes to blow him away." Hermione blushed slightly as they arrived at the front gate of her parents' home, it was now or never.

Not letting her hand slip from Draco's, she pushed the cold iron gate open and made her way up the path towards the front door. After taking a deep breath, she placed her finger on the doorbell. It was in the time between the buzz and seeing her mother face for the first time in months that Hermione realised there was no turning back from her future relationship with Draco. She had realised she would fall in love, she realised she would be his queen. But what she now knew was that Draco was the first guy she'd ever brought home and he would be that last. Perhaps he would be her last everything.

"Hermione?"

The woman in question pulled her gaze away from the man she was holding hands with. "Hi mum." Without another word, the door swung fully open and Helen's arms were tight around her daughter's neck. With her free hand, Hermione hugged her mother back. Her hand still stuck to Draco's. Her mother pulled away, and Hermione took a deep breath. "Mum, this is Draco. My boyfriend."

The two Grangers shared a look, Hermione's of worry and Helen's of surprise. Lifting his left-hand Draco held it out for the older Granger to shake, "Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

"American." Helen commented with a look to her daughter who cleared her throat in response. "Helen Granger. Well, you best come in, it seems my daughter and I have a lot of catching up to do." The couple shared a look before following Hermione's mother into the house, Draco's hand slipping from hers and reaching into his pocket for his phone. Hermione assumed he was contacting someone back in America or the two men waiting outside for them.

Another familiar voice sang through the halls, "Who was it dear?" Hermione didn't listen to her mother's reply, in all honest she wasn't sure if she'd replied at all. She was too distracted by her childhood home and the memories that came with being back there. A memory of when she and Harry had been playing and anciently knocked a vase their mother had inherited from her great grandmother. Or the time when Harry punched a wall in the hallway in a fit of range and made a hole in the wall.

Hermione jumped out of her skin when she felt Draco's bony hand settle on her waist, his breath hot against her neck. "You okay?" Her mouth ran dry as she gave a small nod, the anticipation of seeing her dad and her dad seeing the 6'5 man stood behind his 5'5 daughter. On top of that, the 6'5 man was an American.

The three of them entered the small kitchen that Hermione had spent so much time in as a kid. The usual smell of baking hit her nostrils and she relished in the memories that hit her; those of her and her mum baking cakes. To the ones of her sitting at the breakfast bar, crying over cut knees and her father placing plasters over the scrapes. "Hi dad."

The man sat at the breakfast bar stilled in confusion, slowly turning to face his daughter. "Hermione..." He stood and almost ran to lock her in his arms, his tight hold knocking the air from her lungs. "I've missed you, kid."

"I've missed you too, dad." She whispered as she squeezed her eyes shut, holding onto him, never wanting the moment to end. But like all good things, it came to an end. He pulled away from her, the smile disappearing from his face as he rested his eyes on Draco for the first time. "Oh um, right. Dad, this is Draco."

Draco extended his hand, "Pleasure to meet you Sir, Hermione's told me all about you." John turned his nose up at the blonde but shook his outstretched hand anyways. "Is it me or the accent?" Draco whispered once both of Hermione's parents walked towards the kitchen counter where Helen was boiling the kettle.

"A bit of both." Hermione giggled as she led Draco towards the kitchen table. "He doesn't like Americans very much, but he also doesn't like me being around guys." They sat at the rectangular table, both of them facing the counter that Hermione's mother and father were currently standing in, bickering over Draco by the looks of it. "Scared they'll corrupt my innocent heart."

Draco's hand found its way to her knee, slowly he snaked his fingers to the top of her leg. He dipped his head so that his lips were next to her ear again, she assumed it was a favourite move of his. "It's a bit too late for that, don't you think?" He commented as his breath sent shivers down her spine. "I've already marked you in more than one way Hermione."

She turned to look at him, her eyes focused on his. What she would give to read his mind at that point in time. What she would give to know if this was all a game. He just smirked, leaning forwards he planted a kiss upon her lips before turning back in his chair and removing his fingertips from her leg, instead he threw his arm over the back of her chair.

Clearing her throat, Hermione also turned to face the way the chairs wanted them to. Her head was full of millions of thoughts and thousands of questions. Hermione's phone buzzed, as a form of distraction she pulled it out from her pocket.

_IMessage from Charlie Weasley_

_I know it doesn't mean much over text Hermione, but I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you; I never wanted to and never want to again. But please come home, we miss you. I miss you. I love you._

"How are the Weasleys?" Helen asked sweetly as she carried two drinks over to the table, John carrying the other two. Helen placed the two mugs of coffee in front of her daughter and the American before truing back to the kitchen to grab milk and sugar. "Harry doesn't let much on about them when we speak."

"Well, you know Harry, the world revolves around him." Hermione chuckled as she poured in a splash of milk and stirred in a teaspoon of sugar. "I'm joking, geez." She mumbled into her mug once she'd seen the look her parents were giving her. "They're well, Arthur's a bit stressed with the business but they are well."

Helen smiled and nodded in response, "Do you know the Weasley's, Draco dear?"

He took a sip of his black unsweetened tea before slowly nodding his head, "I guess you could call us old family associates. Our paths have crossed in the business and personal world more than once."

The next 20 minutes after that was spent by Helen asking nonstop questions, most of them direct at Draco, but occasionally one would be pointed in the direction of her daughter. It was only when her mum asked about Draco's family, she remembered half the reason she'd come home, for her cat. "Hey mum, where's Crookshanks?"

Helen turned to look at her daughter with pity in her eyes, "Hermione I'm so sorry, I didn't know how to tell you." Hermione shook her head in disbelief. Crooks was an old cat but he was a fighter, there was no way- "Hermione, he died about a month after you left."

She burst into tears. The one thing that had truly been hers, the one thing she'd never had to share with her brother was gone. To someone else, he was just a cat but to her, he was a best friend. A companion, and now he was gone. He had been her rock in the unsteady times, he'd been by her side for years. In a way it was a relief, she wouldn't have to worry about what would happen to him when she left for good.

XXX

I miss Crooks.

He was the best pet I could have ever asked for but all good things come to an end.

Only this time one good thing ended so that something great could happen.


	7. Chapter 7

_**An angel needs a devil** _

I know I promised you a story of crime, of pain and betrayal, but to understand our story, you have to understand why I did what I did. Draco and I had our ups and downs over the years, but time in and out, when we were needed, we pulled through. We always did and we always would.

XXX

18th May

After the initial shock of the death of her cat, Hermione went back to worrying about Draco's father. She drowned out the background chatter made by her parents and Draco by the thought of Draco picking an outsider, one with such a big yet unknown connection to the Order to be his queen.

_"It's your mum."_

It had been the tone Pansy used to say it that shook Hermione the most. Full of worry, pain and dread. It made Hermione wonder if perhaps Narcissa wasn't as well as Helen or Molly.

"I'm moving to America." The room fell silent. Hermione wasn't sure what she'd interrupted but she didn't care, it was a conversation they were going to have to have eventually. Hermione looked up at her parents, her father had a mix of emotions; anger, annoyance, sadness. Her mother had one of understanding, like she knew the day would come eventually.

Draco curled the arm resting on the back of her chair around her shoulder, curling a strand of hair around his finger in support. "We knew the day would come." Her mother admitted with a sigh, placing her hand above her husband's. "Ever since you and Harry became friends with the Weasleys, we suspected the friendship was so great you'd move to New York."

Draco's phone began to ring, Blaise's name flashing across the top. Hermione glanced at Draco who looked at her apologetically before excusing himself and leaving the room to answer the phone. Hermione watched in silence as Draco retreated into the hallway before turning back to her parents.

"Are you going because of him?"

"No." Hermione lied, "I was thinking about it before I met Draco." Not a lie.

"Do you love him?"

Hermione hesitated. She didn't love him, but one day she would. "Yes." Draco's figure appeared in the doorway. Hermione turned to see a sickly expression across his more than usual ghost-white face. "Excuse me a second." Quickly standing, Hermione fled from the room, telling Draco to follow her, she led him up the stairs and into her old bedroom. It was just as she remembered, light blue walls with shelves upon shelves of books. A small bed in the centre, headboard pushed against the wall. Pale purple bed sheets and a desk with stacks upon stacks of school notes and book reviews. "What's wrong?"

Draco looked at her for a long minute before taking a seat on the bed. He rested his elbows on his knees and head in his hands. Hermione took a seat next to him, her reassuring hand on his shoulder. "There was a fight." Draco sighed, closing his eyes, "Hermione, Harry was hurt."

Hermione couldn't speak, her lip began to quiver. Draco looked up at her, he straightened up and put his arm over her shoulders, kissing her temple. "He'll be okay." He whispered as she cried against his shoulder.

"I shouldn't have left."

Draco pushed her away from him slightly, whipping away her tears with his thumbs. "If you hadn't, it could have been you that was hurt, Hermione. I would never forgive my men if you got hurt by their hand."

XXX

Hermione didn't know if over the last three months she'd wrapped Draco around her little finger, or if they'd fallen head over heels for each other.

He'd spared no expense when it came to day trips to keep her occupied and the dates, he would take her on where like none she'd had before. She would spend one day in Paris and the next in London to wake up the day after to be told they were going to Rome.

But she'd also learnt a lot over the last two months. The first thing had been that they didn't fly to Heathrow airport, they had arrived at a private runway, meaning they didn't have to go through security.

Draco would spend at least an hour each evening teaching her one thing about the Mafia, and what her role would be. He'd told her secrets that the Order would die to know, she assumed they weren't true and that he was just testing her but some of the stuff he would whisper to her as they lay in bed couldn't possibly be a concoction he'd created in his head.

The more time the pair spent together, the less she believed what the Order had told her about Draco Malfoy. But then again, she'd only seen him when he was with her, Hermione didn't know what he was like around his friends, around his parents.

She'd seen him for who he was, not what he was expected to be.

Draco was in no rush to get back to America, and neither was Hermione. Harry, on the other hand, was- they'd said she would go for a couple of weeks, not two months, yet they were still there, with no plans of returning anytime soon.

He'd held his promise to let Hermione stay in her flat while they were in London. He'd also decided he'd move into said flat with her while Crabbe and Goyle stayed in a hotel across the road. Hermione had offered to let them stay in the flat with them, as she had enough room, but they declined the offer.

Hermione awoke to having sweet nothings whispered in her ear and slim fingers running through her hair. She quietly moaned in pleasure, turning her head so that she could look at Draco who smirked and pecked her upon the lips. "Good morning, Granger."

"Morning," She mumbled with a yawn before snuggling into his bare chest a fraction more. "What's on the agenda for today?"

The American snorted in response, "We have some business to take care of."

Hermione looked up at him in surprise, "We?" She repeated, not caring what they were going to do. He was starting to see them as a team and she rather liked that idea.

Draco stared at her before lifting her slightly so that he could slight off the bed, making his way to the chest of drawers. He began to dig for some clothes. "Tell me Hermione," He began, looking over his shoulder, his smirk plastered onto his face yet again. "How much do you like football?"

"Hate it." Sitting up, she pulled the covers around herself, wishing she could magic a coffee into her hands. "Oh no, no, no, no-"

Draco chuckled as he began to button up his shirt, "Dress nice Granger, we're going to be in a lot of pictures with very important people today." He placed a kiss on her forehead before grabbing his trousers off the back of the chair in her room and disappearing into the flat.

Resting her head against the headboard and pulling her knees ups to her chest, Hermione smiled at the thought of the last two months. Draco had let her have free reign over what they did a lot of the time, whether it be spending hours upon hours in a library or going to visit her parents, which they did a lot. Hermione wasn't sure how he'd pulled it off, but her parents adored Draco. He had this façade around her parents that turned him into the perfect parent pleaser.

But however much her parents loved him, he occasionally did things that annoyed her. This happened to be one of those moments. Back in school, she would do whatever she could to miss Harry's football matches. Then, Ron joined the team and she was dragged to support the pair of them. Hermione hadn't much care for sports, she'd only learned to shoot and fight because her father had expected it from her and Harry. She'd never go hunting for fun. Neither would Harry. They just did as they were told.

"What business does the Mafia have at a football game?" The brunette asked as the blonde came back into the room holding two steaming mugs.

He placed one on the bed side table and passed her the other. Sliding back into the bed next to her, he picked up his mug and took a slip of the hot liquid. "With the game, nothing." He answered and then put the mug back down, replacing it with his phone instead. Hermione couldn't help but smile at his home screen, it was a photo of her crossing the road. Nothing romantic but she did look good in the photo, it was taken on the first day of their stay in London and had been his lock screen since. "This is why we are going."

Hermione studied the photo Draco was showing her. She knew that man, but from where? "What business do you have with Igor Karkaroff?" She whispered after a minute; she'd remembered where she knew him from.

"I thought you had no interest in football?" Draco questioned with a raised eyebrow, locking his phone and picking his mug back up

"I have no interest, that is correct." Hermione replied, climbing out of bed as delicately as she could with her coffee. "But where Igor is concerned so is Viktor Krum and with him, I have both interest and history."

XXX

"You're wearing rings." Hermione commented as they made their way to the box they would be watching the game in. She could feel the metal bands of his rings through her dress, as his hand rested on the small of her back as he guided her.

He smirked down at her, "I've got one for you." he whispered before dropping his hand to connect with hers. Hermione took it upon herself to examine them; the first was one he always wore, a family signet. It was a large band, which formed a crest shape with an M engraved. He wore that on his right hand, the ring finger. The next was a simple silver band which rested on his index finger, on this thumb, a gold snake twined around the base. She glanced over to his left hand, which was dangling by his side. On his pinky was another simple silver band, only this time it had a black circle at the decoration, which she assumed, when heat was applied it would reveal something far more interesting. On this middle finger, there sat a huge band with something cut from the middle but she could not see what it was and finally on this left thumb, there was another gold band, this time with a twine like structure.

But what interested her most was that he had one for her. Perhaps he meant it as a proposal which seemed likely but stupid. He may be planning on making her his queen but they'd only known each other for two months, and she was yet to meet the other Death Eaters. Or maybe it was just a gift, whatever it was, she would be thankful.

"Hermione Granger!" Was the first thing the group heard as they entered the box. The woman in question smiled politely, pulling away from Draco to be hugged by a man she hadn't seen in years. Someone she never really planned on seeing again. "You look as beautiful as ever! Oh, it's been far too long."

Not long enough she thought as she continued to smile, "Igor, it has been years hasn't it!" Hermione pulled away and gestured towards Draco. "I must introduce you to my partner, Draco darling."

The American came to stand by her, wrapping his arm around her waist with a smirk. Igor gulped slightly, "We um, actually know each other Miss Granger." He answered with a nod to Draco before leaning the couple to the table in the centre of the room. "I've done business with his father in the past."

"Business is one way to put it." Draco growled before pulling Hermione's chair out for her and guiding her into the seat.

"Viktor is going to be so surprised to see you!" Igor continued paying no attention to Draco's comment. "It has been far too long, so nice for you to come see him!"

Hermione leaned back in her chair, joining her hand with Draco's. "I'm not here to see Viktor as much as I've missed him. I'm here on business, Igor. You seem to owe Draco's father quite a lot of money."

"You know Miss Granger," The man stated, shaking his head in disappointment, "when I first met you and your brother and Ronald Weasley... You were the innocent one, the one who wasn't supposed to know. And look at you now, the angel the devil didn't know he needed."

Hermione sniggered, leaning towards the Bosnian, "You pay them back or I will pull the trigger myself." Hermione stood, making her way to the bar without another word or glance back. "Belin Blonde please."

"Make that two." Draco instructed, coming to stand beside her, his arm around her waist. "That was hot as fuck."

Hermione snorted, turning her head to face Draco. "If that turns you on, I worry for our future." The American smirked, shaking his head in amusement as he batted off her comment by not replying. The Bartender slid their drinks towards them, "Thank you." taking a sip of her drink she looked across to Draco again.

She replied the last few minutes in her head. She'd just threatened to kill a man... and she'd liked doing it, she liked doing it with Draco at her side. Harry was wrong thinking she wouldn't be able to handle the lifestyle, she didn't have the skills needed to survive life in the mafia. But how wrong her brother was. Hermione could go down in history at Draco's side. They could be the next Bonnie and Clyde. But that would mean betraying her friends and family.

Did she have that in her?

Only time would tell.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Draco's grip on her waist tightened as he pulled her closer to him.

Hermione placed her glass next to his on the bar before wrapping her arms around Draco's neck. "Even if he does pay, can I shoot him anyway? I hate that man." Draco chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist to lift her off the ground slightly. He nestled his head in the crook of her neck, inhaling her perfume with a sigh.

The event was, well, uneventful. The game started and Hermione made it clear to everyone in the box that she had no interest in the game. She spent her time at the bar, seeing as they were offering free drinks, Hermione used that to her advantage. When she wasn't at the bar she sat with Draco while he discussed business with other guests.

It was as the game came to an end that the pair had a moment alone. "Have you ever heard of Charles Sobhraj?" Draco asked, twinning a curl around his index finger.

Hermione stared at him silently as she contemplated, "He was a serial killer, was he not?" she replied.

The American stared at his finger as he played with her hair, "He was much more than a serial killer." was his reply after a moment. "He was a thief, conman, and fraudster, but he was smart. Him and Marie-Andree had an empire. Bonnie and Clyde had an empire."

"I don't understand."

Draco looked into her eyes, "All great teams need a balance, you are mine." his finger fell from the curl to cup Hermione's cheek. "You crave power and I crave composure. You crave equality and I crave acceptance. We were made for each other, Hermione Granger, and you know it."

"An angel needs a devil."

A cheer engulfed the atmosphere of the room, Hermione looked out onto the pitch to see the crowds cheering, a team jumping for joy. The brunette stood, making her way back to the bar for another drink before the team came up to the box.

She waited five minutes maximum for the team to come jeering into the box. They could be heard a mile off, cheering over their win. Hermione grinned like a child on Christmas day as the door swung open, face to face with a man she hadn't seen in years. He hadn't changed much, his shoulders were broader and his face had aged slightly but other than that she saw little difference between the man standing before her to the person she met ten years ago.

Neither of them said anything, just stared at each other for a moment before she launched herself at him, jumping in mid-air for the man to catch her in a hug. He held her tight, not caring about anyone else in the room. By the time he finally placed her on the ground and pulled away the room had fallen silent and it seemed all eyes were on them. Draco's particularly, burning into the back of her skull like the ring of fire.

"I didn't know you would be here." Viktor whispered with a smile as he took her hand and led her to the bar.

"Neither did I." She returned as they took a seat at the end and ordered a drink, "My boyfriend surprised me with a ticket this morning."

Krum chuckled, "You hate football." Hermione laughed herself and nodded. "I'm glad you came, I've missed you."

Smiling into her glass she agreed. A hand took a hold of her shoulder, Hermione didn't have to turn to see who it was. "Viktor this is Draco, my boyfriend. Draco, I'm sure you know of Viktor Krum."

The American tapped her shoulder rhythmically, "I may have heard the name." His tone was cold and Hermione knew that the moment her and her ex had shared was not one he had been expecting to see. "I'm afraid it is our time to depart my love, there is a plane waiting for us."

"We're leaving?" Hermione stood to face him, "That's not fair, Draco, I haven't said goodbye to my parents, I haven't packed-"

"That's why we're leaving now." He cut her off, "So that you can say goodbye and gather the last of your things before our flight departs."

Hermione's face fell, maybe she'd been too quick to accuse. "Oh, um well I'll join you in a minute, okay?" Draco took her hand and raised it to his lips, placing a delicate kiss upon her knuckles before leaving the room with Crabbe and Goyle. "Well, I guess this is goodbye, for now."

Viktor stood, hugging Hermione once again. "Igor is in trouble with The Death Eaters, please don't get involved Viktor, I don't want to have to kill you."

"Be careful yourself Hermione, The Death Eaters aren't safe. And neither is the Order." He pulled away, his eyes full of sorrow. "Be safe Hermione, this world is a dangerous one."

XXX

I'm glad Viktor never got involved.

It would have broken me to shoot him, or watch someone else put a bullet through his head.

He kept his head down when it came to his past with Igor and run-ins with The Death Eaters. And in the end, it paid off, Viktor became successful. He became an ally of mine during the war, he had connections and they were useful. Others not so much.


	8. Chapter 8

_**I call her the devil because she makes me wanna sin. And every time she knocks, I can't help but let her in.** _

The first time I met the silver circle, it was... an experience.

Pansy, Blaise and Theo were the friends I always wanted, the ones that you grew up with. And while I did not grow up with them, they became my best friends, and I became a part of the silver circle.

That was yet another tattoo that I don't regret. I just regret doing what I did to keep them safe.

XXX

28th July

"You've been gone two months!" Harry shouted as he paced Arthur's office, "We said two weeks, Hermione, TWO WEEKS!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Are you done?" Harry growled in frustration. They were both stubborn, and easily annoyed, meaning when they were in a mood with each other it could go on for hours- days, even.

As she sat being scolded by her brother, Hermione wished more than anything she hadn't come back to the Burrow. Draco had been against the idea, wanting them to go straight to his family manor (that should be referred to as a mansion, really). But once again, Hermione had been stubborn, wanting to see her brother one last time before she began her work, before she made her decision.

"You hardly answered my texts! Stopped picking up my calls after the first two weeks!" Harry took no notice of her comment, he also took no notice of Arthur's discomfort and Ron's annoyance. "I get phone calls from mum telling me about this lovely American man you've brought home. First of all: lovely, my ass. Second of all, you took him to the fucking house! What were you thinking!"

"I was thinking that I missed my parents and Draco wouldn't let me go anywhere without him!"

"Oh, it's Draco now is it?"

"Oh, fuck off, Harry!" Hermione had come to the end of her tether, in a strop she stood and made her way to the door, only stopping and looking back when Ron asked her where she was going. "Malfoy Manor." She shot back before wrenching the door open and storming off down the hallway with no intent to go back. Storming into her room she grabbed a suitcase and packed the rest of her stuff in a strop until there was nothing left in the room that belonged to her.

Zipping up the suitcase she sent a text to Draco telling him she was done, he replied straight away telling her Crabbe and Goyle were parked around the corner waiting for her. She pulled up the handle, making a quick exit and heading for the front door. Only she didn't make it to the front door. She'd only just made it out of her room when a voice called out to her, making her stop dead in her tracks.

"You fell in love with him, didn't you?"

Hermione sighed, but didn't turn to face the red-head. "I didn't intend to." The brunette replied after a minute, turning her head to look over her shoulder ever so slightly but never actually looked at her friend, her sister.

The woman scoffed, "You're going to get yourself killed. I just don't know which side will mourn your execution yet."

Hermione sighed, looking back in front of her. "Neither do I." She replied just loud enough for Ginny to hear her before she continued her advance towards the front door.

When she arrived at the car, both Crabbe and Goyle jumped out. Goyle opened the boot and took her bags while Crabbe opened Hermione's door. She muttered her thanks before stopping just before getting in, "Are you okay Miss Granger?"

Hermione blinked, "One last thing." she whispered reaching into her pocket and removing her phone from her pocket. She stared at the screen for a moment, the photo of her and Harry on his wedding day. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she unlocked it and opened Messenger sending one last text.

_I hope that if the time ever came, you would mourn me Ginny. But I worry it will be you who brings an end to my story. I hope you understand my decision, all is fair in love and war._

Making sure her message was sent, Hermione moved past the car, placing her phone on the road. "Make sure you crush it into pieces." Were her only words to the men before climbing into the car and letting Crabbe close the door for her. Goyle put his foot down, running the phone over with such force that they heard it break into pieces from inside the car.

No one spoke as they began the journey to the other side of the city. Hermione just stared out the window, the impact of what she'd done dawning on her. Her life as she knew it was over, she could never go back to being best friends with Ron. Being Harry's sister. Charlie's lover. It was all gone.

Hermione thought that staying with the Weasley's for a bit would give her an idea of what she wanted to do with her life, but it had done more than that. Her world had been flipped upside down and now she was looking at it with a new perspective.

And that perspective was raising hell at Draco Malfoy's side.

XXX

When the car finally came to a stop, it parked outside a large building, the words 'The Awakening' attached to the front. The two men climbed out first, both making their way to the woman's door and helping her out before escorting her into the club and up to an office.

The office was huge, a desk and black leather swivel chair at the opposite end to the door she'd just come through. The left wall was totally glass, looking down upon the club. The office itself was bright but Hermione suspected that during the evening, when the atmosphere of the club was at its best, the office would be lit by mood lighting or strip lights.

The centre of the room seemed to be the focus of the room at that point in time. Or perhaps it was her considering that the four people sitting there were looking at her. Hermione recognised two of them, Draco being one and the woman being the other, Pansy Parkinson.

Draco stood, "How did it go?" he whispered as he hugged her.

"I need a new phone." Hermione muttered back as she pushed up on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around Draco's neck. Slowly she pulled away, placing her hand on his cheek. "I've made very few bad decisions in my life Draco Malfoy. I hope you are not one of them."

Draco smiled down at her, before lowering his head to place his lips upon hers. The kiss was gentle and sweet, only lasting a minute before they pulled away from each other to hug again. "Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." A British accent quipped, causing the couple to separate from one another.

Draco flashed his middle finger towards a medium height man around the same age as them. He had short brown hair and chocolate brown eyes a lot like herself. He was dressed in a black shirt, dark grey trousers, and shiny pair of oxfords. "Hermione, this is Theodore Nott."

The man in question stood, made his way towards them and circled Hermione with his hand resting on his chin. After his third circle, he stopped in front of the couple, looking between Hermione and Draco. "I guess she will do."

"Excuse you?" Hermione growled, crossing her arms to her chest and narrowing her eyes at the man who just laughed in response.

Pansy stood, walking over to them and smacking Theo across the back of the head causing him to shriek and rub the back of his head with a scowl. "Ignore him." The woman muttered before giving Hermione a hug, which surprised the brunette seeing as the last time they'd been in the same room, the woman had just stared at her. "It's nice to have another girl on the team, and to properly meet you."

"Please tell me you're not going to kill me because I get those vibes from Theodore."

Pansy laughed, "It's cause he's had the hots for Draco for years." the raven-haired woman answered with a smile. "I'll give you all the gossip when we're alone."

Draco placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder as the final person she hadn't been introduced to stood. "Hermione this is Blaise."

The man was tall with a broad build. He had dark skin and a buzz cut of black hair. "Blaise Zabini." Hermione said as she shook his hand, "I've heard all about you."

"All good things, I hope."

Hermione smirked, "I wouldn't say my brother and his wife think the best of you." Blaise just laughed and nodded his head in agreement before taking his wife's hand and leading her back to the settee they had been sitting in before Hermione's arrival.

Draco took her hand, telling the other's they were heading down stairs to get Hermione a drink. He didn't say anything as they made their way down the stairs and into the main body of the club where he then led her to the bar. They remained silent as Draco slipped behind the bar and began to select out mixers, Hermione noted to herself they were the ingredients to make a Sex on the Beach.

She watched in content as Draco put himself to work, "What are you smiling at?" Draco teased once he noticed her watching him.

Hermione rested her elbow on the bar and placed her head in her hand. "You're good at that." She pointed out, smiling to herself as Draco began to double strain the liquid in the shaker.

"I've owned his place a long time." He pointed out before placing an orange slice on the rim of the glass and sliding it towards her. "But how would you know I do it so well?"

Hermione took a sip of the drink before standing and walking towards the stairs. "I worked in a cocktail bar for years." She answered, taking another sip and starting the ascent back to the office. "But you already knew that, didn't you, because you've been watching me since I was eleven."

"I haven't been watching you," He replied, opening the office door. "The Death Eaters have."

With a roll of her eyes, Hermione made her way into the office, falling onto the settee next to Theodore and placing her drink on the table. Draco exhaled calmly, closing the office door and placing himself next to Hermione.

He tossed his arm over her shoulder after grabbing his drink from the table and taking a sip. Hermione sat quietly as the group continued their conversation about a deal that had gone wrong the night before. She picked up small pieces of information she thought would be important, names and code words. Making a mental note on what she wanted to question Draco about when they were alone.

XXX

In the early days, I don't think I realised just how much time I would spend in the Awakening with the silver circle. But I'm thankful I had all that time with them; Pansy, Blaise and Theo were the most amazing people I've ever known. Theo and I grew the closest over the time, him understanding my British sarcasm unlike the other three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for the short chapter, the next one is much longer I promise. Please review it means so much to hear what you all think, much love SP101 xx


	9. Chapter 9

Broken Bones by KALEO

_**After you, hell should be easy** _

Now, what can I tell you about Lucius Abraxas Malfoy?

In all honesty the only thing I can tell you about him was that he did not approve of me and he made that very clear. Everything I did to try and prove myself was never good enough. Even after I killed Arthur, Lucius didn't think I was good enough for his son, to help lead the Death Eaters.

My only regret in life was not picking up my gun and shooting the old man in the head myself.

XXX

29th July

The knocking at the door was quiet and polite, Hermione slowly and carefully removed herself from Draco's tight hold, and grabbed his shirt from the floor. Doing up a few buttons, she opened the door. "Oh, sorry to bother you."

Hermione blinked a few times, letting her eyes adjust to the bright light of the hallway. The brunette studied the girl in front of her, she was younger than them but not a child. She had short brown hair and porcelain skin, light pink lips and dark green eyes. "Poppy, right?"

"Yeah, that's me," the teen replied with a small smile. They stood there in an awkward silence for a minute before Poppy spoke again. "Mr. Malfoy wants to see Draco in his office."

Hermione looked over her shoulder at the bed, where Draco was totally out. He'd had far too much to drink yesterday, especially taking into account that he'd started helping himself to the club stock at ten in the morning and kept going till the early hours of the next.

They'd done a good job at keeping Hermione's mind off the decision she'd made yesterday. They'd spent the day drinking and laughing, sharing stories from school and what it was like growing up in the Mafia. Then, once the club opened, they'd partied for hours.

"I'll let him know." Hermione said with a smile before slowly closing the door and turning to the bed, making her way over she got back under the covers, running her hands through Draco's hair.

After a few minutes he moaned in pleasure, "Can you wake me up like this every morning?" he asked, rolling over to face her. A smirk already toying on his lips, "And in my shirt?" Hermione exhaled a laugh, leaning down to kiss him.

"I'm afraid it's not all that great this morning," She muttered, her lips hovering just above his. "Your father wants to see you in his office." Draco groaned his disapproval at her statement, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face into her lap. The Brit laughed, kissing Draco's hair, "You have to see him Draco, you've been gone for two months."

"He can wait two more hours."

Hermione sighed. "Draco," she warned, and he obeyed.

In a strop he rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, coming out a few minutes later before grabbing a pair of grey jogging bottoms, and white t-shirt. Running his hand through his hair, he walked over to her and placed a light kiss upon her lips. "I won't be long."

"No, please take your time." Hermione replied with a cheesy grin, "I'm going to clean up the mess we made last night." they both looked out across the room. There were clothes, cushions and blankets scattered around the place, an empty bottle of wine and two glasses on the coffee table between the sofas.

Draco smirked, placed a kiss upon her forehead before making his way to the door and leaving for his father's office. Hermione smiled to herself as she played with her ring, Draco's phone buzzed from somewhere in the room, lost in the mess that they'd created. She glanced across to the clock on her bedside table, 10:47. Deciding to clean the room before anything else, Hermione got out of bed and began by collecting the cushions scattered around the room, tossing them back onto the settees and folding up the blankets in the process.

Trotting over to the bed, Hermione rearranged the pillows and shook out the silk covers before walking around the room and collecting all the stray items of clothing. Checking the pockets before tossing them in the laundry basket in the corner of the room. She pulled Draco's phone from the pocket of her trousers, plugging it in to charge on his bedside table before removing his shirt and tossing it into the basket with the rest of last night's clothes.

Making her way to the shower, Hermione turned the handle and stepped under the spray of hot water. She let herself slip away, forgetting about what she'd done to her best friends the day before. She was so out of it that she didn't hear the bedroom door open, or Draco entering the bathroom and slipping into the shower with her.

Trailing open mouthed kisses down her neck, Draco wrapped his arms around her waist. Hermione moaned in pleasure as he continued his venture across her upper back, he smirked against her smooth skin as her arm came up and looped around his neck.

"I don't want to ruin the mood or anything," Hermione mumbled, breaking free of Draco's hold and turning to face him, "but what did your dad want?"

Draco raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to the side, "He wants to meet you tonight." he answered honestly. Hermione blinked at him a few times before letting her jaw open to form an 'o' shape. The blonde smirked, "Let's finish our shower then talk about it, yeah?"

XXX

Hermione was unpacking her last suitcase when yet another knock sounded on the door, in a huff she threw the dress she was holding down onto the bed and made her way to the door. She was surprised to say the least when she saw Pansy and Poppy on the other side. "Draco's not actually here right now."

"Good." Pansy replied stepping into the room as she spoke, Poppy trailing in after her, shooting a bright smile in Hermione's direction as she passed. Hermione closed the door and turned to look at Pansy who was walking over to the cart that Draco kept his alcohol in. "You're unpacking."

"No shit." Hermione shot back with an eye roll before heading back to the bed and continuing to unload her suitcase. "What are you doing here anyway?" She asked, looking over to the sisters to see Pansy pouring out three drinks and Poppy spread out across on one of the settees, staring at her phone screen.

Pansy placed a glass of neat whiskey in front of her sister before heading over to the bed, "Draco sent us to help you get ready for tonight." Pansy informed, taking a seat on the edge of the bed and passing the Brit one of the glasses.

Hermione poured half of it into her mouth and swallowed before resting the glass on the bedside table. "Nice to know he thinks I can get myself ready."

Pansy laughed, taking a sip of her drink she shook her head. "It's not that he doesn't think you're capable of dressing yourself- it's just Lucifer, I mean Lucius." Pansy shot her a devilish smirk which made Hermione burst out laughing.

She hadn't really heard much about Lucius Malfoy over the last two months, Draco didn't seem to talk about his parents much and Hermione didn't want to be intrusive and ask. "I take it you don't like your boss then?"

Pansy snorted into her glass, "I don't think there is one person in this place who likes him." she replied honestly before shaking her head. "But I do respect him- everyone does- he just has a sour personality." Hermione gave a nod of understanding, she'd shown respect to many people despite not liking them, like Snape, he'd been her teacher at school, and he'd been a horrible one at that but that didn't mean she didn't respect him. Unlike Harry who took every opportunity available to piss off their old chemistry teacher.

Hermione pulled out a black maxi dress, placing it on a hanger and added it to the pile next to her. Pansy's hand reached out, curling around the hanger before pulling it between the two of them. "You have to wear this!"

"That was a gift from Charlie." Hermione replied, staring blankly at the dress and the woman holding it. It was two weeks after she'd first arrived in New York, she'd arrived back at the Burrow after lunch with Ginny to find a black box with a large silver bow on her bed. The note had instructed her to wear the dress and meet him at a restaurant his friend owned but she'd never had the chance to wear it. Charlie had cancelled but not told her why, she would now take a guess that it was some mafia business. He'd promised they could reschedule but never did.

Hermione laughed, grabbing the glass from the bedside table and walking over to the settees. "I was going to spy on you all and feed back information to the Order." She wasn't really thinking before speaking but once it was out in the open, it was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

The two sisters shared a look, "Which I'm not doing, by the way." Hermione added, worried that one of them would pull a gun out on her for saying that. But on second thought, it wasn't very likely a teenager and an interior designer would be carrying a gun around in a mansion with guards all over the place.

Drowning the rest of her drink she looked over to Poppy, reminding her she needed to bug Draco about getting her a new phone. Pansy made her way over, tutting at her younger sister to make space for her. "There's a deal going down tomorrow, why don't you join us?"

Sitting forwards in her chair, Hermione raised her eyebrows, a smirk spreading across her lips. "Who's us and what's the deal?" Pansy grinned knowingly, these two were going to make a pair to be reckoned with.

Pansy explained that she, Blaise, and Theo had a weapons deal planned for the next evening. Pansy didn't go into much detail other than the deal was with a small gang that they did business a lot. It would only be the three of them seeing as it wasn't anything too big and would go under the radar.

Once they finished discussing the deal, they decided it was best to start helping Hermione get ready seeing as they only had forty minutes until she was supposed to be meeting Draco's father. Pansy volunteered to do her makeup with Poppy straightened her hair, Hermione had tried to tell them she'd be fine by herself but she was thankful they insisted on staying. If she wanted to impress Lucius, she would need all the help she could get.

After thirty minutes Draco came back, surprised by the fact that the sisters were still in their room. He tried to kick them out so that he could get ready but they refused to leave, reminding him that he'd asked them to help Hermione get ready. In a sulk he'd headed into the closet and came back out five minutes later when the sisters finally left. Hermione laughed at him before stripping down into her underwear, Draco's arms twinning around her waist before she could make it to the bed to grab her dress.

"We're going to be late." She reminded him as he trailed kisses over her neck, Hermione sighed causing Draco to laugh, the vibration running through her body. "We have four minutes, Draco."

He hugged her tighter, "Let's skip." the brunette sighed once again, placing her hand on top of Draco's, she plucked herself free.

Unzipping the dress and pulling it off the hammer she stepped into the black charmeuse fabric, "I don't think I need to tell you why that is a bad idea. Zip me up?" she watched over her shoulder as Draco followed her. He slowly pulled up the zip, brushing his hands over her bare shoulders once he was done.

Hermione stepped away from him, taking a seat on the bed she grabbed the heels Poppy picked out for her. "You look stunning, by the way." Draco was flashing his signature smirk in her direction; she wouldn't disagree with him. The off-shoulder dress was beautiful and fitter her figure perfectly, showing every curve the way it should be shown. Poppy and Pansy had done an amazing job of her hair and makeup, from the red lip stick to the elegant messy bun.

"And you still owe me a phone." The woman shot back before making her way to the door, looking at him over her shoulder once she was there. "You don't look too bad yourself, Malfoy, now hurry along."

They walked to the front door in silence, Draco trailing along behind Hermione, annoyed that she was making him go to the dinner. She knew how he felt about his father but that didn't mean they could just blow him off. Draco had told her his dad didn't want Hermione holding the power Draco had promised her and she needed to prove herself. No matter what she would prove to Lucius that she belonged in the Death Eaters, that her loyalties laid with them.

Crabbe was waiting for them at the door, informing them that Goyle had already left with Lucius seeing as the pair were late. Draco had muttered something under his breath but Hermione decided not to comment, following the bodyguard out of the building and into the usual car.

No one said a word while they drove to the restaurant, not one of them even breathed too loudly. It would be a lie if the Brit had said it didn't make her uncomfortable. New York, the city that never slept. Man was that true, the Hustle and Bustle of city life was at its truest in NYC. It was nothing like London, the atmosphere was one of a kind, she couldn't match it to anything she'd known before.

They pulled up outside a little Italian restaurant, Cappia D'oro; _Golden pair_ , Hermione had heard that before. No doubt something she'd overheard while staying at the Burrow, something she'd picked up but never really understood, like the Death Eaters. Hermione reached out for the door handle but stopped when the cold metal of Draco's rings sent a shiver down her spine. The brunette turned to face the blonde; a questioning eyebrow raised as her hand fell back down to rest on her lap.

Draco relinquished his grip on her right arm, his door opened and Crabbe passed him something before walking around the car. "We've had a tip off," he said wirily, clutching whatever Crabbe had given him, "that the Order are coming here tonight to get you back."

"Then why are we here?" Hermione questioned in an angry whisper, turning her whole body to face Draco. "Why the hell are we here if you know they are coming here?"

The man brought it right hand towards her, "Because they think we took you and destroyed your phone." he slid a leg holster towards her. She looked over her shoulder, out of the window, at the door of the restaurant. Crabbe and Goyle were waiting for them, looking back at Draco she ran her index finger over the black fabric. "We came because they need to see you picked us."

Smirking, she grabbed the holster and pulled apart her dress where the slit in the leg was placed. "Got a gun for me?" Matching her smirk, Draco got out and made his way round to her door. It was as he went to close her door that he passed her a revolver, six bullets already placed into the barrel.

It was like he'd given her all the power in the world, he trusted her more after two months that Harry and Ron had since they were eleven. For all he knew, she could shoot him and his father dead when the Order arrived, if they did. It was a gamble, a test and like she said before Hermione Granger never fails a test.

They made their way into the restaurant, Crabbe and Goyle hot at their heels. The small building was empty except for the large circular table in the centre and the six guards that stood idly, chatting among themselves.

"I've got you. Just be yourself." Draco whispered in her ear as he took her hand and led her to the table. Lucius Malfoy was tall, that was for certain, even if he was sat down. Lucius had shoulder-length platinum hair, slightly whiter than his sons, that had been pulled back into a low pony-tail. His eyes were the same light grey as Draco's as well, his skin the same pale shade. He was wearing a black shirt, the top two buttons undone, his dinner jacket thrown over the top of the crescent shaped high back sofa seat. "Father." Draco nodded his head in greeting, placing his free hand on the small of Hermione's back. "Hermione, this is my father Lucius."

The Malfoy stood, extending his hand. "Pleasure to officially meet you, Miss Granger." Hermione took his hand and shook lightly with a small smile before taking a seat, Draco sliding in next to her as Lucius sat back down opposite them. "Tell me something about yourself."

Draco's hand rested above her knee, his index finger lightly drawing shapes upon her skin. "Oh, um..." Her mind went blank, she couldn't think of one thing she'd done in her life that was good enough to tell that man. "I was training to be a teacher before I came over here."

"A teacher?" Lucius repeated and suddenly Hermione felt like she'd made a horrible mistake. If only the ground would swallow her up whole. Lucius turned his head a fraction of a centimetre, Draco tensed up next to her and shook his head. Hermione turned her own to look at Draco who gave her a small smile and placed a kiss upon her temple. "What brought you to America?"

"Ron Weasley." She replied bluntly, staring at Lucius. This was all so messed up; she was sitting in a restaurant that Hermione guessed was owned by the family, at a table with a Mafia boss and his son, the son she was dating. "Him and I had been friends for years and I just finished Uni, he thought it would be a nice break for me."

Draco muttered something under his breath about Ron being a twat and not knowing how his idea would play out. The night carried on with the two Malfoy's talking business, Draco catching his father up on everything they'd done in London to do with the Death Eaters and Lucius telling his son about deals and fights that had gone down while they were away.

It was about three minutes after their deserts had been cleared when they heard the first gunshot outside. At first no one reacted, but after a minute everyone sprang into action. The three jumped out of their seats as the six men took up position around the back of the crescent seat. Draco's hand reached around to the back of his trousers and pulled out a gun, "That can't be comfortable." Hermione muttered to him as she reached for her own.

"It's not." He answered with a smirk, before shaking his head. "Not yet, wait until they know you're picking us."

Taking a deep breath, she gave a single nod and pulled her hand away from the holster. Sitting back down she joined her hands and rested them on her lap. She could do this, just keep calm and focus on the task at hand. It felt like hours before the door finally opened, however what came next was worse.

The shook on Hermione's face was clear as day; Arthur, Bill, Charlie, Ron and Harry all stormed through the door. That's not what she'd been expecting. Charlie looked awful, as if he hadn't slept in days. He probably hadn't, he'd known Hermione was back in New York and that she was still pissed off at him. Then she'd sent that text and disappeared, her actions over the last few months were, to the, unnational.

"Let her go Malfoy." Ron looked just as bad as Charlie, same with Harry. She felt awful for having to do this to them, they were her family, but they had lied to her and that was something she could never forgive them for.

"She made her choice Weasley," Draco shot back, his grip tight in his gun that was resting by his side. "You're the one who needs to let go of her."

It occurred to her in that moment that this wasn't just a test for her, it was a test for Draco. He'd picked Hermione to be his queen, Lucius didn't like the idea, they were here not only to tell the Order she wasn't their little spy, but she had what it took to rule over the city at Draco's side.

Rising from her seat, Hermione let her gaze meet her brothers. Harry shook his head pleading her not to do this in just a look, it was always just a look with them. "I'm sorry." The brunette sighed, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "I did the one thing you not me not to."

"You still have a choice." Arthur replied, lowering his gun slightly.

Shaking her head, Hermione slid her hand into the slit of her dress. Feeling the cold metal of her revolver, Hermione let her look change from one of pity and pain to one that meant business. "You're trespassing." All the Weasleys shared the same shocked and confused expression, "This is private property and you are not welcome here."

She lifted her right hand, "So unless you want a bullet in your chest, I suggest you leave." Harry swore under his breath before letting his gun fall. "Leave now and no one has to get hurt."

Reluctantly, the other four let the weapons fall to their sides. Ron opened his mouth to speak but snapped it closed again shortly after. Hermione gestured towards the door, with a heavy sigh Arthur pushed the three men out of the door.

"We need to get out of here." Hermione muttered to the pair, who nodded in agreement. "They're not letting me go that easy, they'll be surrounding the area as we speak."

Draco stuffed his gun back into the waistband of his trousers, "I'll take Hermione back on my bike, they'll follow us, you get back and we'll meet in your office." at the mention of her name she looked up from placing the revolver back in the holster. "We'll leave through the front."

A waiter, not much younger than the couple appeared from the back room holding two helmets. Hermione took an attentive smile before turning to Draco, "Do you think they'll shoot?" he shared her worried look. If they were on a bike, they would have no protection. They wouldn't have the safety of the bullet proof coverage all the cars had; they didn't even have protection for if they fell off the bike.

"I honestly didn't really plan past your, _'You are trespassing, I'm gonna put a bullet in your chest.'_ if we're being totally honest with each other." Draco joked as he took Hermione's hand in comfort, she tried shooting back a smile so that he would know if efforts hadn't gone to waste but it didn't seem to work. He turned back to his father and gave a nod before taking the helmet from the waiter and leading Hermione to the front door of the restaurant. He placed a peck on her cheek before sliding the helmet over his head.

"Draco," They both looked over their shoulders to look at Lucius, "Be careful... Both of you." Hermione grinned under the helmet. She'd made a good impression, well, she'd shown him who's side she was on. At least she hoped that was the case, for all they knew, Hermione could have planned this with them. She hadn't, she made her choice, but they didn't know they could trust her for certain.

The pair turned to one another, "Ready?" the blonde asked in a low voice. She repeated the words back to him before following him out, hands joined together as they ran to his motorbike. Hermione could already feel the adrenaline pumping through her body as she wrapped her arms around his waist, the sound of the engine coming to life seemed to bomb through the air, alerting everyone else to their exit.

Before she knew it, they were speeding through the city, swerving through car after car upon the unusually busy roads. Hermione could see every time she looked over her shoulder that they were being followed by a black SUV. "What are you doing?" Draco shouted over the roar of the engine as Hermione grabbed the gun from waistband."

"Losing them." She snapped before adjusting her position so that the upper half of her body was just at the right position she could fire at the van. They were close enough to one another that the bullet hit the windshield, "Slow down a bit." Draco did as told, the SUV was now centimetres behind them. Hermione took another two shots before lowering her arm and shooting the tire.

The vehicle swerved slightly at the impact, once it got back on course Hermione took her final shot. The bullet moved through the air as if in slow motion, breaking through the glass and hitting whoever was sitting in the passenger's seat.

Brakes slammed on, "Hook a right!" Hermione screamed as she turned her body and threw her arm around Draco's waist once again. He took the sharp turn and speed down the road before looping back around in the direction of Malfoy manor.

XXX

Remember when I told you I was the one to put an end to Arthur's story? Well, you just found out how.

I found out four hours later that the person I had shot was Arthur. I'd killed the man who'd opened up his home to me, a man who'd never been anything but nice to me. He was dead at my hand and the Weasleys knew after that night my decision was final.

They wanted revenge.

Unknowingly, I'd started a war.

And it wouldn't be over until I had a bullet in my head.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, just a little update for you all. I've worked out this story will be about 28 (ish) chapters and from this week on I'll have an update schedule of every Thursday, now until June. I've just posted another dramione story called Fire and Ice, its an eighth year, head boy/girl fic, please check it out, it would mean a lot to me.

_**In hell, the devil is God** _

You know that scene in Suicide Squad were the Joker asks Harleen Quinzel if she would die for him then changes his mind and asks her to live for him, and then jumps off the platform into the vat of acid, then he follows her, and discovers she's become Harley Quinn?

Well, that's what falling in love with Draco felt like. I threw away everything I had for that man, I jumped into the unknown, falling into the deep end. And like Harley Quinn, I regret nothing. But like Henry Rollins once said; you need a little bit of insanity to do great things.

XXX

30th July

Hermione sat biting her nails, it was a bad habit he'd had for years now but at this moment, it seemed an appropriate thing to do. It had been seven hours since the incident at Cappia D'oro, three since she found out she was the reason Arthur Weasley was dead. She'd practically been locked up in Lucius' office with Draco and Theo and a few other men she didn't know and a crazy woman.

Lucius was sitting at his desk; his hair had been removed from the neat ponytail he'd had at dinner and was now hanging in front of his face, as he held his head up in his hands. Draco sat opposite this father; his suit jacket and tie had been discarded the moment they walked through the front door, laughing about the events of the night and kissing the whole way to the office. He was sitting back in his seat, a glass of scotch in hand, out of everyone in the room, Draco and Theo were the calmest, as if not bothered by last night's events.

A man named Tom Riddle, Lucius's second in command by the sounds of it, was sitting in the other seat opposite. He was the oldest in the room by a mile; bald head, dark brown eyes and unusually pale skin. It was different from the pale skin of the Malfoys; Riddle's skin was more light grey whereas the Malfoys just had a light completion. It made him look ill- dead, almost.

The other woman, Bellatrix Lestrange, spent most of the time she was in the room slouched against the wall behind Lucius. She didn't input much into the conversation but when she did, it was clear to Hermione that this woman was crazy, like on crack 24/7. She had wild black hair, her eyes so dark they were almost as black as her hair, and soul. Draco had referred to her as 'aunt Bella' a few times, and seeing as she looked nothing like Lucius, Hermione assumed the woman was Narcissa's sister.

Theo and his father were sitting on opposite leather settees- what was it with this family and leather settees? Theo had his back pressed against the arm rest, his legs stretched out in front of him facing the desk but his head was resting on the arm rest and his eyes were shut. Hermione would have thought he was asleep if it wasn't for his snide comments and snorting whenever someone said something he didn't agree with. Hermione couldn't have been more thankful for Theo in that moment, even if he was pissing everyone else off and Bellatrix and Riddle had asked for him to leave multiple times.

Theo's father, Theodore Senior, was an older, fatter, less handsome version of his son. They had the same loose curly brown hair, same light brown eyes, same south England accent. Knowing she wasn't the only non-American around this place was a kind of relief, she didn't feel like such an outsider.

Hermione herself was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room by the door. One leg was resting on top of the other, her foot bouncing as she hunched over and chewed her nails. Her heels were lying abandoned next to her, her holster and revolver to the other side. Draco had given her his jacket; the sleeves had been rolled so that they cut off at her wrists. She hadn't done the buttons up but she'd pulled the sides across her body and wrapped her arms around her.

"Do we know who's going to take over?" Riddle asked and everyone shared a look of uncertainty.

"Bill." Hermione said just loud enough for everyone to hear. His question seemed stupid to her. She hadn't known about all this up until two months ago, but Bill was the obvious choice. He was the oldest, always locked away with his dad in the office, whispering with Charlie. Bill was always in New York, everyone else left the city on a regular basis, but Bill never left after he returned home from Hogwarts.

Theo opened his eyes and agonisingly slowly he turned to look at her, a proud grin spread across his face. "She's got a point." He groaned after a minute, lifting his head slightly to look at the group around the desk. "He is the oldest after all. If you died Draco would take over."

Hermione stood from the second time since she'd first arrived in the office, the first being when she walked out after finding out that she'd killed her brother's father-in-law. It had just been Lucius, Draco and herself when his phone rang. It had been a short call, thirty seconds at the most, he'd pulled the device away from his ear and looked at the pair before telling them Arthur Weasley had died in hospital three hours after being admitted for a gunshot wound on the right side of his chest. Hermione had sat frozen in Draco's arms for a few moments in shock before she'd jumped up and ran from the room. She hadn't gone anywhere in specific, just away from the office. When Theo found her, she was on her knees in the middle of a hallway, tears streaming down her face and cry after cry escaping her lips.

In all honesty, she wasn't really sure how she ended up back in Lucius' office but when she did, Theo was holding her up and the others had arrived. Draco had hugged her, kissed her forehead while she calmed down before placing her in the chair and going back to his own. Muttering Bill's name had been the only thing she'd said the whole time they'd been there.

She made her way to Draco's chair, "Bill's smart and well put together, he'll be smart about their next moves." placing her hand on Draco's shoulder, Hermione leaned her side against his chair. "Unlike Charlie, who when sees red brings down all hell, won't let his emotions get the better of him."

"What do you think he will do?" Lucius asked, looking up at Hermione hopefully. Whom just shook her head in return, a sorry expression spread across her features.

"Bill will guess that you're going to ask me that," She replied, wrapping her arm around Draco's neck as she took a seat on the arm of his chair. "He's going to plan something elaborate that I will never guess. I'm guessing that Ginny will help him, she was already pissed off at me after what happened with-'' She cut herself off with a cough, her being involved with the brothers wasn't something she needed the high rankers to know, if they didn't already. "Before we left for London, all trust between us was gone. Harry will be in denial; he'll be no use to them when planning. Charlie will go rogue, try looking for me to kill me himself for what I've done. Ron will be in a similar state to Charlie and Fred and George. And, well, I'm not too sure about what the twins will do. They're smart, that's for sure but I don't know how involved they are."

Draco's hand came to rest above Hermione's, he looked up at her with a plain expression before looking back at his father and standing. "Father, it's been a long day, we only got back from London less than seventy-two hours ago-"

"Of course." Lucius replied gesturing to the door, "Get some rest, all of you." he stood himself with a heavy sigh. Hermione glanced up at the clock to see it was quickly nearing two am, this time yesterday they were getting back from The Awakening. If she'd known what she would do the next evening, would she have enjoyed her night as much as she had? "We will reconvene at noon."

With the knowledge they were able to leave, Draco took Hermione's hand and led her to the chair she'd been sitting in to collect her shoes and holster. Theo followed them back to their room, his head hung low and hands buried deep in his trouser pockets. Once in the room, Hermione disappeared into the closet, changing out of her now least favourite dress and into a pair of shorts and stealing one of Draco's T-shirts.

As she walked out, Draco passed her a stemless glass of wine, there was more liquid and the glass than she would usually give herself but given the night events, she didn't care much. Taking a sip as she threw herself down on the leather seat, "Why are you still here?"

"Any excuse for free alcohol and good company." He shot back, tipping his glass towards her slightly with a teasing grin.

Draco sat down next to Hermione with a groan, placing his arm around her shoulders as she pulled her legs up underneath herself and leaned into his side. "So Theo, where are you from?"

He snorted into his glass, "I lived in Devon for twelve years, but my father is American. He was doing some undercover work for Lucius in London when he met my mother. Gave up everything to be with the woman twenty-five years younger than him, they had me, they hid from the Death Eaters and then my mother died. So, we came here and he was pardoned off all treason, if you will."

"I'm sorry about your mum." Hermione said before grimacing, "Sorry." she muttered resting her chin on Draco's shoulder as she tapped her index finger on the rim of her wine glass.

Theo took a long sip of his wine, "I'm sorry about Arthur."

Hermione bit the inside of her cheek, "He was a good guy, he didn't deserve what I did to him." she lightly shook her head. After drowning half of the contents of her glass in one go, she laughed sourly. "Ginny was right about one thing; I'm going to get myself killed."

"You're better at all this than you think." Draco commented, placing a kiss upon her forehead. She could see Theo nodding out of the corner of her eye, "Hermione you shot at a van while on the back of a bike while wearing no protective clothing."

She knew he was trying to make her feel better but it just wasn't helping, Hermione had killed someone. She didn't deserve the praise everyone was giving her, the cheerfulness that Bellatrix had, knowing that the Order was in crisis. God, she could only wonder what Harry was thinking of her. When word spread to her parents that Arthur was dead, would they be told who shot him? Would her parents know that she put a bullet in his chest? Shit, she hadn't spoken to her parents since they got back to New York, she really needed to get her hands on a new phone.

At her silence, Theo and Draco began conversing between themselves. Hermione didn't listen to what they said, she just sat there and sipped on her wine, lost in thought. Draco's cold hands trailed lines over her back under her T-shirt. It felt nice to be with someone and hang out with another person, it had never been that way with Charlie or Ron... They hadn't been real relationships; they were dead ends. She couldn't have had a future with her sister-in-law's brothers.

There was a light tapping at the door, "Come in." seconds after Draco called out, the door was open and closed again. Pansy and Blaise made their way over, falling onto the settee with Theo.

"We heard about what happened." Pansy whispered, looking at Hermione who'd turned her head so that her temple was now resting on Draco's shoulder.

Tapping her nail on the rim of her glass she looked at Blaise, "We still on for tomorrow?"

Draco tensed up beside her, "You invited her to your deal?" he growled in a low voice. Blaise shook his head once and pointed to his wife who crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow in response. It was a _'do you want to fuck with me'_ look and Draco defiantly did not. After two days, Hermione could already tell the boys were scared of Pansy, she was the ringleader.

Theo coughed, breaking the tension hanging over the group. "Perhaps it's best if we postpone, I have a feeling we're going to be spending a long time locked up with the devil, the crackhead and the two old men."

"What's the hierarchy around here?" Hermione questioned, placing her empty glass on the glass table and curling back up to Draco. It was something that she'd wondered the whole time they were in Lucius office.

"Lucifer-" Theo cut himself at the look Draco shot his way, Draco might not have the father-son bond Arthur and Bill, or any of his children for that matter, but that didn't mean he was okay with his friends being disrespectful when he was around. "Lucius, Draco, Riddle, my old man, Bellatrix then me, and then you."

Hermione blinked, "Me?" she questioned staring blankly at Theo. That made no sense, she'd only just proved herself, they wouldn't give her a position of power just like that.

The Englishman nodded, "You're his girl." he informed, pointing at Draco, who didn't say anything, he just pulled her closer by a fraction of an inch. "Draco's been in love with you for months now. And seeing as you've proved yourself, you get a position of power. When Lucif-ius kicks the bucket, Draco inherits everything and I become is second, you'll be his third and no doubt these two will be fourth and fifth."

Months? He'd been in love with her for months? She didn't verbally respond, just nodded her head before standing and making her way to the bed, slipping under the covers and laying on her back, staring at the black ceiling. The trio sat together and took that as a sign they should leave, that hadn't been her intention but it wasn't the worst outcome.

It was five more minutes before Draco got under the covers next to her. He was silent for a few minutes, "About what Theo said...'' he waited for her to respond but Hermione was in no mood to talk. Without a second thought, she straddled Draco, crashing her lips down against his own. His hands began to roam her body, grabbing the material covering her chest and pulling it over her head. Her hands rested on his chest; their lips locked as he unlatched her strapless bra and tossed it onto the floor before wrapping his arms around her waist and rolling them over. He helped her discard her shorts and knickers before she pulled off his boxers. It was the most passionate sex they'd ever had, far from it. Neither one spoke, they just moaned in pleasure as Draco pounded in and out of her at a stupidly fast rate. He waited until after she recovered from her high to release, cuming with a moan before slipping out of her and rolling onto his back and letting sleep consume him.

XXX

If only Theo had been right about our hierarchy. Draco, Theo, me, Blaise Pansy... If only he'd known only three of the five would make it out of the war alive.

The silver circle never got its happy ending, I wish we had, I really did love those three twats.


	12. Chapter 11

Bury me low by 8 Graves

_**Sometimes you can only find heaven if you slowly back away from hell.** _

I'd proven myself to Lucius after being back in the city for two days. Some of the Death Eaters were sceptical- I mean, fair enough- and some were point-blank not okay with me having such a high position of power. Bellatrix and Riddle seemed to be at the top of that list.

I didn't out rank them but they still didn't want me in meetings and at events. Lucius never paid much attention to their demands though. He may have been a dick but he respected me, and after that night he never questioned my loyalty.

XXX

31st July

Draco threw his hands up in frustration. "I don't want you going!" They'd been having the same argument since they woke up; if Hermione was going to the deal tonight. Theo had made it pretty clear the night before that he didn't think it would be a good idea if he went, let alone Hermione.

"You're not the boss of me, Draco!" They'd been repeating the same thing over and over again, with Draco telling her not to go and Hermione saying he didn't have an choice in if she went or not. He'd tried to explain that they need to figure out what their next move with the Order would be not worrying about selling weapons. He tried reminding her that she was needed in the meeting more than she was needed at the deal but she was too stubborn to listen. She wanted action- that was why she picked them. If she'd stayed with the Order, Harry would have kept her in the dark and made her stay home, hidden from the world.

She'd had a taste of power, a taste of crime. It was like a drug and she was waiting for her next high. Hermione came to a halt, slowly turning to face Draco as she leaned her hip against the back of the leather settee. Draco raised a questioning smile as the woman smirked, "What if you're not the only one not wanting someone to leave their house?"

The blonde stared at her blankly. "I don't follow."

"Exactly," she replied, crossing her arms to her chest she tapped her nail on the skin above her elbow. "Bill isn't going to want anyone leaving the house until they have a plan, the Burrow will be as secure as Fort Nox. They won't be expecting an attack while they're all grieving, so we hit them where it hurts."

With a smile, Draco stood and made his way over to the brunette. "What's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" He asked as he tangled his hand in her hair, the other coming to rest on her hip.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his waist, looking up at him through her long lashes. "I'd bet money on the Base Lounge still being open. Fred and George never close that place. I know that place inside out, every exit and store room."

"Who knew watching you scheme would be such a turn on?" The American muttered before lowering his head and pressing his lips against Hermione's.

XXX

The room was quiet, it had been since she started pitching her idea. Everyone was in the same places as the night before, except for Hermione who was leaning against Draco's chair. Draco sat there with a smug expression the whole time; Theo had been grinning every time Hermione had glanced over her shoulder. Lucius was the hardest to read, he'd sat there with a blank expression while she'd spoken and still now as he contemplated on what she'd said.

"Boss-"

Lucius raised his hand to cut off Riddle, "How well do you know the lay out of the club?" he asked Hermione, turning his head to look at her and only her.

She bit down on her bottom lip in thought, "Pretty well, we used to hang out there all the time." Lucius nodded in response, joining his hands and resting his chin upon them.

"We?" Hermione glanced at Bellatrix; her snarl was off-putting to say the least. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Riddle and Lestrange didn't like her.

Draco squeezed her hand, "The club was the place we all went to escape Molly, during the day we would hang out in the empty space or the office." With a sigh, Hermione turned her attention back to Lucius. "Look, I know you've got no reason to trust me, but Arthur was my family. He died from a bullet I put in his chest. I can't go back to the Burrow even if I wanted to. Outside of this house, I have nothing."

"Arthur's funeral in in three days," the man informed, staring straight at his office door. "We start planning our attack tomorrow. Granger's in charge." Hermione's eyes widened in shook; did he seriously just say that she was in charge? Draco looked between his father and his girl; Lucius's mouth moved but Hermione didn't catch what he said. Her ears were ringing as Draco stood and guided her to the door, Theo hot at their heels.

When her focus came back to her, Hermione was in their room, sat on one of the settees with a glass of water in her hand. "Did that seriously just happen?" The other Brit asked in a state of confusion, thank god she wasn't the only one trying to take in the news. Her little outburst had been aimed at Bellatrix, not Lucius, she was not expecting him to tell her to lead the attack, to help plan at the most.

"That was... Unexpected." Draco added, falling into the seat next to her with a heavy sigh. "I guess you'll be going tonight?" Theo gave a nod, stretching out his arms and joining them behind his head. Hermione kicked off her trainers, pulling her legs underneath her. He drummed his fingers against the leather of her seat, if it wasn't for his action, you'd be able to hear a pin drop in the room. "You can go with them Granger."

With a raised eyebrow she glared at him, "I was going anyways. You had no say in it." he looked at her with an exasperated expression before standing and making his way into the bathroom. Theo didn't say anything, but Hermione knew he was fed up with the bickering, in all honesty so was she. When they'd been in London, everything had been perfect, they'd been living in their own little world. Yet here in New York, where they had to remember Newton's third law: each action has an equal and opposite reaction. If they killed an Order member, the Order would hit back.

In London they only had the other to consider but now Draco was pulling out all the stops to impress his father. The Mafia are criminals, con artists, low-lives but so much more, they were a family, a team. It was a machine; take one part away and it will cease to work. If someone were to manage to kill the highest-ranking members, they would fall apart at the seams. A hierarchy ceases to be useful if you take out the people who know what they're doing.

If someone was to murder Lucius, Draco, Riddle, Theo's dad and Bellatrix, the whole Mafia would break down. Theo knew enough but Hermione was just learning the ropes, they wouldn't be able to keep their heads above the water.

"If I die today, I won't be so bad." Theo leaned forwards, his elbows resting on his knees as he looked at the woman through heavy eyes. "Just promise me that when I go, you'll bury me low?"

Hermione leaned back in her seat, letting her legs slide off the leather and crossing one over the other. "If I meet God, I'mma make him explain."

"Bury me low?"

With a nod she repeated his words. "Bury me low."

XXX

The breeze down by the docks was strong, one of those winds that hurt when it hit you. Hermione was glad she was waiting in a car and not on a bike like the two men were. Pansy was blasting music through the stereo via her phone. It was as Back In Black by AC/DC came to a close that a group of seven men appeared about ten meters away.

Pansy turned to look at Hermione, who gave her a nod that she was ready. Opening up the door, Hermione jumped out shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her leather jacket to protect them from the cold.

She saw Theo placing his helmet on the seat of his bike, "You okay?" he whispered as he reached her, not taking his eyes of the group opposite.

Hermione kicked the tip of her ankle boot at the ground, "I need to learn the ropes somehow." her voice was shaky so she tried to cover it with a small smile. Theo shared her expression before continuing on, Hermione released an uneasy breath before following.

"Who's the fresh meat?" One of the guys called out, gesturing his head towards Hermione as she reached them, taking her place between Pansy and Theo, Blaise to Pansy's right.

Pansy crossed her arms to her chest, "The serpent's girl." Her tone was sharp. That was something Hermione had picked up on about Pansy. She took shit from no one, she was by far the most independent person she'd ever met. She'd kill anyone who got in her way. Yet, she craved attention from Blaise, she craved the love and affection her husband gave her. She craved the love of her friends and the relationship she had with her sister.

"Why's she got a Phoenix marking?" Another asked, this time it was the guy at the front, the ring leader. In all honesty, Hermione never realised how much power came with her markings up until that point. Even if her Order symbol may be a death wish on this side of the city, in the right place she could use it to her advantage.

Pansy, glanced at Hermione, unsure of what to say. "Heard of Harry Potter?" The brunette called out to them; the guy who'd asked gave a nod. "He's my brother. They wanted me to spy for them, I had a different idea."

"So what?" He pressed, his hand going behind his back to wrap around a gun. "You feed them information?"

Hermione laughed, "I'm not involved with the Order anymore. Want in on a little secret? I killed Arthur Weasley; bet you know who that is." The man studied her for a few minutes before smirking and congratulating her on a job it seemed everyone on this side of the city had been trying to do for years.

Theo coughed, "Can we hurry along with the deal now? It's rather cold out here and I'd quite like to get to a club and find a hot young man to bring home." Rubbing his hands together he glanced at Hermione, the pair sharing a look.

Blaise guided two of the men to the boot of the car, Pansy following him while the two Brits stared at the gang in silence. Hermione felt her new phone buzz in the back pocket of her jeans, reaching out for it she read the message and scoffed. Theo gave her a questioning glance; in response she just rolled her eyes and lightly shook her head.

It was quite boring, just standing there, waiting for the married couple to come back so that they could leave for the club. She could feel eyes upon, watching her, ready to make a move. It was obvious that they didn't believe that she was not a spy for the Order, looking back, it was a stupid place to get the tattoo. If she'd known that she would betray them, she would have had it in a more discreet place. Yet the idea of people never knowing if she could be trusted gave her a sense of power. For all Lucius knew, Arthur's death could have been staged. It wasn't but it could have been.

No one knew if they could really trust her or not.

Yet the silver circle trusted her blindly. Draco had told her all kinds of secrets; Pansy was happy to gossip her after three days. Theo quickly becoming a good friend, Blaise seemed to have his reservations about her, didn't speak much when she was around or perhaps, he just didn't have anything to say.

The clink of Pansy's heels against the ground sounded, signalling they were on their way back. "Text Draco telling him we'll be leavening in a minute." She commanded in a whisper, Hermione doing so straight away. Blaise, along with the other two men hauled a small crate into the centre of the space they'd allocated. "How much did we agree upon again?"

One of the men towards the back of the group tossed a duffle bag forwards, Theo made this way over to it and opened up the zip. "Looks like all of it." He called back to Pansy, he picked up the bag and took it over to the car, throwing it into the back seat and making his way over to his bike.

"Pleasure doing business with you boys." The raven-haired woman called out with a wink before turning her back to them and heading for the car, Hermione and Blaise following suit. "See you in a bit lover boy." She blew a kiss to her husband before getting into the driver's seat and taking off her heels, shoving on a pair of flats before placing the key in the ignition. "You okay?"

Hermione hummed an answer, watching as they began the short drive to Draco's club. "I'm I going to be having to answer for my tattoo every time I leave the house?"

Pansy glanced at her for a few seconds, "Once people know who you are, no." The American answered truthfully. They pulled up to a red light and Pansy drummer her perfectly manicured nails upon the gear stick. "Theo got a lot of shit when we were younger, his dad was the one who defected but he got the blame. He hadn't even been born..."

"Was it weird, growing up in all this?"

She thought for a second before shaking her head, "I have nothing else to compare it to." the light turned green, the car moving forwards again. "It was probably strange for Poppy, there isn't really anyone else her age around. At least I had Draco and Blaise by my side for it all."

Hermione wanted to ask Pansy if she'd ever betray her sister, if she'd ever turn her back on her but she didn't have the words or the will power to hear her answer. Because her answer would be no, most people would answer no.

They parked the car around the corner form the club, Pansy changing her shoes again before they headed in search of Blaise and Theo. The two men were waiting by the doors, Blaise chatting to one of the bouncers while Theo's eyes skimmed the queue in the hope of spotting some fresh meat.

"No man is ever going to want to sleep with you if you look like you've been sucking on a lemon."

"Shush, Granger." He shot back, throwing his arm around her shoulders and guiding her into the club, the people at the front of the que complaining that they'd just done that.

"I'm gonna go find Draco!" She informed over the loud music, pointing in the direction of the staircase to the office. Theo told her he was heading to the bar and that he'd see her in a bit. Hermione shoved her hands back into the pockets of her leather jacket before making her way to the staircase, keeping to the edges of the club so that she had a clear and quick path.

Crabbe was stood outside the office door; they shared a small smile before Hermione slipped into the room, falling against the door with a heavy sigh. "Is it always that boring?" She groaned, causing Draco to laugh.

He rose from his chair, striding across the room so that he could wrap his arms around her. "You could have stayed home with me." He replied in a whisper, pulling away he took her hand and lead her over to the glass wall. "We've had word that the Order have put a bounty on your head."

"Well, that's just peachy, isn't it?" She replied sarcastically with an eye roll, watching as Theo did a shot at the bar. "So, we're at war?"

Draco sighed, turning Hermione to face him and cupping her cheek. "I'm going to protect you; I will always protect you, Granger." Leaning in, he pressed his lips against hers.

They both melted into the kiss, the thudding of feet and the base of the music pounding in their ears as they connected. "That's a yes then." Pulling away she answered her own question, Draco rested his forehead against hers, neither too sure what to say.

Her family had put a bounty on her head. Was she wanted alive or dead? What costs would they go to, to make her pay for what she'd done? How much of an asset to the DE was she, what would they do to protect her?

They jumped apart at the sound of glass smashing, Theo stood with his gun pointed at the section of window closest to the door, waving for them to go down to the bar with a smirk. "He's fucking crazy." Hermione laughed, taking Draco's hand and pulling him towards their friends. Forgetting all about the oncoming storm, having one night just for them, having one night to be twenty year olds before getting tossed head first into a war with nothing but guns and money to protect them.

XXX

That was the last time we all partied freely, without having to worry about when the next attack would be, without having to plan how to kill each member of the Order.

That's where my expertise came in, my expert knowledge on each member and their weaknesses. How to torture each one of them, make them go mad from grief. Once that bounty was laced on my head, once I had one last run in with my brother, my loyalty to the Order of the Phoenix was gone.

I've never stopped feeling guilty for killing Arthur but trust me, not once since I did it, have I regretted killing Charlie.

Not after what he did to me.


End file.
